One Piece One Shots
by XFangHeartX
Summary: A collection of drabbles and one shots. Contains LuNa and ZoRo. Review, please, and no flames or hate.
1. Butterfly Daze

One Piece: Butterfly Daze

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

* * *

Summary- A butterfly finds its way to the _Thousand Sunny_, and Luffy intends to catch it so he can give it Nami as a present. However, it proves to be easier said than done. Pre-Timeskip.

* * *

It is another one of those usual days on the _Thousand Sunny_, home to the Straw Hat Pirates.

Zoro is up in the crow's nest, lifting weights, as usual.

"634…635…636…637…" he counted.

Nami is busy counting her savings with Robin to keep her company in the library.

Usopp is getting some candy from his secret stash.

Sanji is in the kitchen, making a purple gelatin as a snack for the girls.

Chopper is in the sick bay, doing inventory on his medicines.

Franky is down below deck, doing repairs on the _White Rocking Horse I_.

Blizzard is sitting on the roof of the library, observing everyone else.

Brook is playing a tune on his violin.

As for Luffy, he had just eaten a large amount of meat, and his tummy was so full, that he fell asleep on the deck, snoring away, a puddle of drool forming from his open mouth. He let out a small belch before he continued his slumber.

Suddenly, Luffy felt something tickling his nose. He tried wiggling it to get whatever it is off, but it didn't work.

**ACHOO!** He woke up with a big sneeze. He sniffled and blinked before letting out a yawn. Just then, something caught his eye, bringing him to full alert.

It was a little black butterfly with orange wings.

Luffy gasped.

"A butterfly!" he said.

The butterfly fluttered and crawled around Luffy, who giggled at the ticklish feeling of its legs. It landed on his nose, again, and opened its wings, concealing his eyes and revealing the brown eye-like pattern on the back. If one didn't know any better, they'd say that Luffy was wearing some sort of mask.

The orange underside of the butterfly's wings reminded Luffy of Nami's tangerines, which then reminded him of Nami herself.

It is then that he got an idea.

"I know what I'll do," he mused. "I'll give you to Nami as a present!"

At that, Luffy began to try and grab the butterfly, but the little insect flew away before he could do so.

"H-hey!" Luffy cried as he gave chase after it. "Come back here!"

The butterfly flew toward Usopp, or rather toward the purple wrapper on his candy bar. It perched itself on the wrapping, just as Usopp was about to tear it off.

"Hey!" Usopp said before he tried to blow the butterfly off. "Get outta here! Shoo! Go on!"

"Usopp, wait!" Luffy cried as he ran up to him in attempt to catch the butterfly. However, Usopp didn't see him coming, and as the butterfly flew away, Luffy, who was too late to hit the brakes, ended up crashing into the sniper from behind, thus causing him to drop his precious treat.

"OOF!" Usopp cried before both he and the captain ended up slamming into a wall.

"Ow…" Luffy muttered.

"Dammit, Luffy!" Usopp snapped. "What the hell are you doing?!"

"I was trying to catch this butterfly," Luffy answered.

"Butterfly?" Usopp repeated.

"Yeah!" Luffy replied. "A little black butterfly with big pretty orange wings!"

"What do you want a butterfly for, anyway?" asked the sniper.

"I wanna catch it and give it to Nami as a present," Luffy said.

"Why am I not surprised?" asked Usopp. "Fine, Luffy, but next time, if you're gonna crash into someone, don't let it be me, please."

"Can do," Luffy answered before he stood up and dusted his pants off.

"Now," he said to himself, "where'd Mister Butterfly go?"

At that moment, the butterfly appeared before Luffy's sight, once again, fluttering towards the kitchen.

"There he goes!" Luffy exclaimed before he gave chase.

Usopp sighed before he picked up his candy bar and began to unwrap it.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Sanji was putting the finishing touches on the purple gelatin he made for Nami and Robin by adding some powdered sugar.

"Perfect," said Sanji.

That's when the butterfly came fluttering in, and perched itself on the purple gelatin, much to Sanji's disgust.

"What the-?!" the cook questioned. "Hey! Get outta here, you little bug! You're getting your filthy little legs on the snack I made for Nami and Robin!"

At that moment, Luffy appears and spots the butterfly, and before Sanji could stop him, he jumped onto the table, slid on his stomach all the way across, and fell to the floor, destroying the gelatin that Sanji had made and scaring the butterfly off in the process.

Sanji stared with jaw slacked and eye wide.

Luffy got up and dusted himself off.

"Damn," he cursed. "Now where did it go?"

**GRAB!** Sanji angrily clutches the collar of Luffy's vest and pulled him forward to meet his enraged face.

"DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU JUST DID?!" he snapped.

"Uh…" Luffy muttered.

"YOU RUINED THE SNACKS I MADE FOR NAMI AND ROBIN, YOU DOLT!"

Luffy looked down and the flattened gelatin snacks Sanji had made.

"S-sorry," he apologized.

"SORRY'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!" Sanji shouted. "TONIGHT, YOU'VE GOT DISH DUTY! WHAT WERE YOU DOING, ANYWAY, YOU MORON?!"

"I was only trying to catch this butterfly for Nami!" Luffy answered. "You know, as a present!"

Sanji slapped his hand over his face.

"Why am I not surprised?" he questioned to himself. "Well, get outta here! I gotta clean up this mess you made!"

"Okay, okay!" Luffy said before he left the kitchen and entered the sick bay.

"All right," said Luffy. "Where did that butterfly go, now?"

"Hi, Luffy."

Luffy looked up to see Chopper, sitting in his revolving chair with a clipboard in his hooves.

"Oh, hey, Chopper!" Luffy greeted him back.

"What can I do for you?" Chopper asked. "Are you sick? Do you need some medicine? I'll give you a checkup as soon as I'm done with inventory."

"Huh?" Luffy muttered. "Oh! No, Chopper! I'm not sick! It's just…have you seen a butterfly fly in here?"

"Butterfly?" Chopper repeated.

"Yeah," Luffy replied. "A little black butterfly with these big orange wings. I wanna catch it and give it to Nami as a present!"

"Oh," Chopper said. "I don't think I've seen any butterflies."

"Oh," Luffy said, sounding disappointed.

As Chopper reached for a vial of purple liquid, only to gasp when he saw something orange crawling around on it.

"There it is!" Luffy shouted. "The butterfly!"

"L-Luffy, wait!" Chopper cried.

**SMASH!** Luffy accidentally scared the butterfly, yet again, and in doing so, he had accidentally caused the vial to fall on the floor and smash open. Out came a purple mist, which caused both Luffy and Chopper to go into a violent sneezing fit.

"Ch…Chopper!" Luffy cried. "W-what is this?! ACHOO!"

"It's…ACHOO! It's a new type of weapon I was making for Usopp!" Chopper answered while sneezes. "ACHOO! ACHOO! It's supposed to cause people to go into violent sneezing! ACHOO!"

"ACHOO! ACHOO!" Luffy sneezed.

"Luffy…ACHOO! I think you better go!" Chopper said as he kept sneezing.

"Okay…ACHOO! Sorry, Chopper. ACHOO! ACHOO! ACHOO!"

With that, Luffy left the sick bay while poor Chopper continued to sneeze.

"Okay," Luffy said. "Where'd Mister Butterfly go, now?"

He looked up to the library's roof and saw Blizzard, lying up there, taking a nap. Luffy noticed that his dog is wearing one of his favorite outfits: a purple hoodie jacket with the kanji for "dog" printed on the back. However, Luffy also noticed that the butterfly had perched itself on the right sleeve of the wolf-dog's jacket.

Blizzard spotted the little creature, and he smiled. He always did love butterflies ever since he was a puppy. He would always go around the farm he was born on, chasing them with his brothers and sisters. Such fun!

"Blizzard!"

Blizzard looked up and behind himself and saw that Luffy had climbed up onto the roof and is now charging towards him.

"Butterfly~!" he cried.

**YIPE!** Blizzard yelped as he tried to scramble away, but he wasn't fast enough. **BAM! THOMP!** Luffy accidentally crashed into him, causing the both of them to fall on the floor, and the resulting shock caused the library to shake, causing the ink that Nami was using to draw her maps to spill onto the one she was currently drawing.

"AAH! Oh, no! It's ruined!"

"Uh-oh…" Luffy muttered.

**WHAM!** Nami opened the door and growled at Luffy and Blizzard.

"Uh…hi, Nami!" Luffy greeted her, chuckling nervously.

"You two are in SO much trouble!" Nami shouted.

Not wanting to stick around to face the navigator's wrath, Luffy and Blizzard quickly ran away.

"Idiots," Nami muttered before she slammed the door behind her and returned to her work.

XXX

"Sorry for getting you in trouble, buddy," Luffy said to Blizzard as they hid near the tangerine grove.

Blizzard glared at Luffy, as if asking, "Why in the hell did you crash into me like that, anyway?"

"I was only trying to catch this butterfly," Luffy said. "I wanna give it to Nami as a present."

Blizzard rolled his eyes.

_Why am I not surprised?_ he thought.

"Now I lost it," Luffy said as he stood up. "I wonder where the butterfly went, now."

It wasn't long before the Straw Hat captain did spot the butterfly, and this time, it was perched on the purple tulips in Robin's flower garden.

"Well, hello, there," Robin greeted the insect with a smile.

"There it is!" Luffy exclaimed before he ran towards Robin's garden.

Robin looked back, and then quickly jumped out of the way with a gasp.

**KRASH!** Luffy ended up crashing into the flower garden, crushing some of the flowers as he did. Good thing the butterfly flew away just in time, otherwise, it would've met the same fate as the flowers.

"Dammit!" Luffy cursed as he got up from the flower garden, only to see the ruined plants stuck to his chest and tummy. He gasped in horror, and then looked at Robin.

"R-Robin," he said. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's all right, Luffy," Robin said, smiling as she brushed the soil and flower parts off of him. "Some things can be replaced. What were you doing, anyway?"

"I've been trying to catch a butterfly," Luffy answered. "I wanna give it to Nami as a present."

"Why am I not surprised?" Robin questioned.

"Every time I try to catch the butterfly," Luffy started, "I end up crashing into someone or breaking something. Trying to catch a butterfly is harder than I thought!"

"Well, don't give up, Luffy," Robin said. "I'm sure you'll catch the butterfly, somehow."

"But how?"

"Well, for one thing, shouting and grabbing isn't going to work. You have to be quiet and patient."

"Oh. Quiet and patient, huh?"

"Also, did you notice that the butterfly seemed to like the color purple?"

Luffy's eyes went wide in realization. Every time he found the butterfly, it was always perched on something purple, such as Usopp's candy bar wrapper, Sanji's gelatin, Chopper's sneezing mist, Blizzard's hoodie jacket, and Robin's tulips.

"So, I just have to get something purple so the butterfly will come to me!" Luffy concluded.

Robin nodded and chuckled.

"Great!" Luffy cheered. "Now I know what I have to do! Thanks, Robin!"

"Anytime, Luffy," Robin said.

And so, Luffy ran to his room, got some sketching paper that Nami had bought for him so that he wouldn't draw doodles on the wall (or on anyone's face while they're asleep), his paint, paintbrushes, and a roll of tape, lied down on the deck on his tummy, and got to work.

He dipped his paintbrush into the purple paint, he started to paint all over the paper. Then, just for a little decoration, he painted golden yellows swirls on the paper, too. Once the paint had dried, Luffy folded the paper into a cone, and then taped it together. Then, he placed the cone over the bowl of his hat.

"There," he said. "This has gotta work, now."

By this time, Zoro had finished his training and had come down from the crow's nest for something to drink: namely sake. That's when he saw Luffy sitting on the rail with that ridiculous paper hat on his head.

"Uh, Luffy," Zoro said. "What are you-"

"Shh," Luffy promptly shushed the swordsman.

"What did you shush me for?" asked Zoro.

"Quiet," Luffy whispered.

Zoro cocked an eyebrow in confusion, but then he spotted something fluttering up towards Luffy's paper hat. Luffy chewed his lip in anticipation before it perched itself on the hat. Seeing this, Luffy carefully took off the cone so as not to scare the little creature away, again, and then he turned to Zoro.

"Quick, go get a jar!" he said.

"W-what kind?" Zoro asked.

"Any kind!" Luffy answered. "As long as it's empty! Oh! And make sure there's a hole in the lid, but not too big!"

Zoro nodded before he ran to the kitchen to get a jar. When he returned, he did indeed get a jar with a hole in the lid, but inside the jar is some sticks and a few leaves.

"I put some twigs from Nami's tangerine trees in there," said Zoro.

"Thanks," Luffy said. He gingerly scooped the butterfly into his hand, and then, when Zoro opened the jar, he let the little bug crawl from his fingertips and onto the stick inside. Once Luffy removed his hand, Zoro closed the jar so that the butterfly wouldn't escape.

"There you go," Zoro said as he handed his captain the jar. "What do you want with a butterfly, anyway?"

"I'm gonna give it to Nami as a present!" Luffy replied with a grin.

"Why am I not surprised?" Zoro questioned to himself.

Luffy giggled excitedly as he ran to the library to give Nami his gift. It looked like he was just in time, too, for she had just finished making her map and has just come outside, only to be greeted by her captain.

"Oh, Luffy, it's you," Nami said in a bit of a deadpan tone, apparently still a bit irritated that he had ruined her map earlier. "What do you want?"

Luffy showed Nami the jar with the butterfly inside.

"For you!" he said.

"Oh, a butterfly!" Nami said as she took the jar and looked inside. "It's so pretty!"

"I know, right?" Luffy asked. "Look! Its wings are orange, like your tangerines! They reminded me of them, and then they reminded me of you!"

Nami smiled at Luffy before she glanced at the butterfly, but then she frowned.

"W-what's wrong?" Luffy asked. "Don't you like it?"

"I do," Nami answered. "It's just…I don't think it's very happy in this little jar, Luffy. Do you?"

Luffy looked at the butterfly. It had its wings drooping down, and it just sat there on the twig. It really looked like it was really sad.

"Wow," said Luffy. "Now that you mention it, Nami…it does look kinda sad."

"I think we should let it go," Nami advised.

"But…I caught it just for you!" Luffy protested.

"I know, Luffy, and I really like it…but…I don't like seeing something so pitiful. Do you?"

A pause.

Then, Luffy sighed.

"No," he answered before he took the jar back. Then, he twisted the lid off.

"There you go, Mister Butterfly," said Luffy. "You're free to go!"

The butterfly crawled out of the jar, and then, with a gentle flap of its wings, it fluttered into the air, causing both Luffy and Nami to look up at in wonderment. As if to thank them, the butterfly softly bumped itself, first onto Luffy's nose, then on Nami's, before it finally flew away from the _Sunny_ and off towards the setting sun.

"Wow," Luffy said.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Nami asked.

"Yep," Luffy answered before he turned to Nami. "But not as beautiful as you."

Nami looked up at Luffy, who wore his usual big goofy grin and gave his usual chuckle, and she smiled at him. Then, she closed her eyes and then gave Luffy a short peck, first on his left cheek, then on his right, and finally on his lips. Luffy giggled a bit.

"Butterfly kisses," he said.

Nami smiled before she felt Luffy do the same to her. Then, he felt her wrap his arms around her and tenderly pull her close. Nami rested her head against Luffy's chest and returned his embrace.

"You're my little butterfly, Nami," he said.

Nami's smile grew bigger and she whispered, "I know."

**THE END**

* * *

Yeah, I'm starting a new One Piece One Shot collection. :D

Some will be random, some will be LuNa, and maybe some will be ZoRo.

Stick around. ;)

Review, please!


	2. Blizzard and Chopper's Day Out

One Piece: Blizzard and Chopper's Day Out

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

* * *

Summary- When Luffy gets sick again, Nami sends Chopper to go get some medicine for him, and Blizzard goes along with him, and what starts as a simple shopping trip turns into a small adventure for the wolf-dog and reindeer. Post-timeskip.

* * *

Tony-Tony Chopper sat in the sick bay, grinding up herbs for his medicine, humming a little tune to himself. To Chopper, there was no such thing as being too prepared. He wanted to have as much medicine ready as possible, just in case.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Come on in!" Chopper called.

Nami entered, holding her captain, Monkey D. Luffy, to her side. For some reason, the latter is cradling his stomach and moaning in pain. He even let out a few burps and his tummy let out a gurgle or two.

"Hi, Nami," Chopper greeted.

"Hey, Chopper," said Nami as she laid Luffy on the gurney.

"Is Luffy okay?" asked Chopper.

"No, Chopper, he's not," Nami answered. "Poor Luffy has a bit of an upset tummy. Don't you, Luffy?"

Luffy moaned in reply and rubbed his stomach.

"Lemme guess," Chopper said. "From eating too many sweets, again, right?"

"For once, no," said Nami. "He just started to have stomach issues out of nowhere, and he says he didn't eat any sweets, at all."

"My tummy~!" Luffy whined.

"Well, I wish I could help, Nami," said Chopper, "but I don't have any stomachache medicine."

"Well, you think you can go into town and get some?" asked Nami. "Luffy really needs it."

"Please, Chopper," said Luffy. "It hurts _so_ bad!"

"Well," said Chopper, "I was gonna go into town to get more ingredients. Why not? I'll go!"

"Thanks, Chopper," Nami said, gratefully as she helped Luffy climb into the gurney. "I owe you at least two sticks of cotton candy."

"Shut up!" Chopper cried, wriggling around, happily. "Why would saying that make me happy?!"

Nami smiled as the doctor left, leaving her to tend to her sickly captain.

"Don't worry, Luffy," said Nami as she sat down next to Luffy and rubbed his stomach. "Chopper will be back and he'll help you feel better before you know it, okay?"

Luffy nodded. He never doubted Chopper for a moment. If anyone could help him feel better, aside from Nami, it was him.

XXX

Outside, Chopper is about to go out into town, prepared to buy some medicine with his allowance, when suddenly, he was stopped by Blizzard, who was lying on the deck, having just woken up from a nap.

"Hey, Chopper!" the wolf-dog called. "Where you going, little buddy?"

"Into town," Chopper answered. "Luffy's sick with a stomachache, so I gotta go get medicine for him."

"Mind if I come along?" Blizzard asked.

Chopper froze, and then turned to the wolf-dog. He wanted to say that he didn't want his company, but…even he couldn't say no to that face.

"Well," said Chopper. "Okay."

"Great!" Blizzard said as he got up and walked up to Chopper. "Let's go!"

Chopper heaved a sigh.

XXX

"What in the world?"

"Is that a raccoon dog riding on top of a wolf?"

"Well, you do see strange things in the Grand Line, especially here in the New World."

"Wait, that's a wolf? I thought it was a horse!"

"You see something new, everyday."

Blizzard was walking through the streets of the town with Chopper riding atop his back. Chopper said that he didn't want a ride, but Blizzard insisted upon it. It did catch a few eyes, but they just ignored it.

"Uh, Blizzard?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah?" Blizzard asked.

"Why did you come with me?"

"Well, why not? You're not embarrassed, are ya?"

"It's not that…I'm just asking."

"I just felt like you could use my company, that's all. That bad?"

"No, it's not! I just…you know what? Never mind."

Blizzard came to a stop when he saw a huge pit in the ground, and some men working inside to fill it.

"Oh, boy," he said. "It looks like this road is blocked off."

"But the pharmacy is just passed this pit," said Chopper. "How are we gonna get passed it? Can't you just jump over it?"

Blizzard looked to the side and saw another way around: the gate to a junkyard.

"I've got a better idea," said Blizzard. "Let's go around it."

"Around it?" Chopper repeated. "How?"

Blizzard answered his question by looking to the junkyard.

"Th-through there?" Chopper stuttered. "Uh…"

"Not scared, are you?" Blizzard asked.

"No! Of course not!"

"Then let's go in! Don't worry, I'll be right here with you."

"I told you! I'm not scared! Also, you can put me down, now! I can walk by myself!"

"Okay, okay!"

Blizzard lowered himself to the ground, where Chopper could climb safely off. The moment he got on the ground, the little reindeer just walked into the junkyard…and at a rather fast pace, too.

"Chopper," Blizzard called as he began to follow him. "Chopper, wait! Slow down! You could get lost!"

"I will not!" Chopper argued. "I'm not Zoro, you know."

"I'm not saying you are!" Blizzard said. "Listen, I've been through here before, and I know it better than you do! Chopper, slow down!"

Before long, Chopper disappeared before Blizzard could catch up to him.

"Chopper!" Blizzard called. "Chopper! Where are you, little buddy? Answer me!"

No response.

Blizzard sighed. His little friend was lost somewhere in this valley of trash.

"Damn," Blizzard cursed. "I lost him…and I can't figure out which way he went. The smell of garbage and crap is so thick, I can't get even a trace of reindeer anywhere. Well, I guess I better start looking."

With that, Blizzard began to walk off in search of Chopper.

Little did he know that someone was going to find him, first.

XXX

"Blizzard? Where are you?"

Meanwhile, Chopper found himself looking for his four-legged crewmate, as well. However, as insecure as he felt, the reindeer thought it was all the better for him.

Chopper sat down on a trash bag, paying no mind to how uncomfortable it felt, and sighed.

"Who does Blizzard think he is?" he thought aloud. "My sitter? I can take care of myself, just fine! What did he think I was doing during those two years? Picking daisies?!"

He jumped down from his little seat and walked off. However, the little guy didn't realize that on the mounds of garbage, shadowy figures were watching him.

"I'm not helpless like I was before, and I'm definitely NOT weak! I'm also not as big a scared-y cat, anymore!"

He stopped in front of a tunnel of junk.

"I'm a pirate who laughs in the face of danger!" Chopper yelled into the tunnel. "HA-HA-HA-HA~!"

Laughter echoed from the tunnel…but it didn't belong to Chopper. The blue-nosed reindeer gasped before he backed away. Skulking out of the tunnel came a trio of dogs. The first, possibly the leader, looked like some sort of harvest gold Setter dog that was losing some fur on his leg and tail. The second was some slate gray Shepherd mix with a scar on his left shoulder. The third was a brown-and-white English Bulldog with a stitched-up scar across his neck. All three of them were wearing rather malicious grins.

"Uh…hey," Chopper greeted, nervously.

"Hey, kid," said the Setter. "What ya doin' here, all by yourself?"

"I…I was on my way to the pharmacy," Chopper said. "My friend is sick with a stomachache, and he needs medicine to help him feel better. I took the junkyard as a shortcut."

"That so?" asked the Shepherd mix. "Well, you should know that you're walking in our turf, now."

"The name's Gnasher, kid," said the Setter.

"I'm Shirozakura," said the Shepherd mix.

Gnasher turned to the Bulldog.

"This guy here is Bongo," he said.

Bongo let out some sort of insane cackle.

"Uh, charmed, I'm sure," Chopper said. "Well, nice talking to you guys, but I gotta go! See ya!"

He turned to run, but was intercepted by Bongo, who had a rope of drool hanging from his scrunched up maw. Soon, the three dogs began to circle around Chopper, who grew more nervous by the second.

"What's your hurry, kid?" Gnasher asked. "You should stick around for a while. Right, Shirozakura?"

"Yeah," agreed Shirozakura. "We were just about to have lunch. Right, Bongo?"

Bongo laughed in reply and licked his lips.

"Oh, gee, that's nice," said Chopper, putting on a friendly, but nervous smile, "but I can't stay. Besides, I didn't bring anything to eat!"

"Oh, I think I see something," Shirozakura mused.

**Gulp!** Chopper swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Uh…I have this weird feeling that you're talking about me," he said.

Shirozakura licked his chops and grabbed Chopper by his arm, but Gnasher smacked him on the muzzle.

"Ouch!" he shouted. "Boss, what was that for?!"

"You know I get the first bite!" he said. "Now hand him over!"

"What are you kidding?" Shirozakura asked. "Hell no! Do you know how long it's been since I had something decent?! I haven't had venison in years!"

Chopper let out a small squeak of fright before Gnasher pulled him away from Shirozakura.

"I'm havin' the first bite," Gnasher growled. "Besides, I love venison more than you know!"

Bongo just made a lot of gibberish.

"Yeah, yeah, Bongo," said Gnasher. "We know! You haven't had venison in a long time, too, but you're not gettin' the first bite, either!"

While the trio of canines argued, Chopper took this as his chance to make a run for it, and that's exactly what he did.

"So it's agreed, then," Gnasher said. "We split the kid in thirds! I get the head, Shirozakura, you get the middle, and Bongo, you can have the bottom part, including his legs."

"Now, hold on a minute!" said Shirozakura. "What gives you the right to have the head? I should get the head!"

"Oh, no, you don't!" Gnasher barked. "We agreed, and it's final!"

"Well, I don't I think I like this agreement!" Shirozakura barked back.

Suddenly, Bongo started to bark in gibberish again, but he looked frantic and was making some strange gestures, as if he is pointing at something.

"Oh, what is it, now, Bongo?!" Gnasher questioned.

"Uh, hey, Boss," said Shirozakura. "Did we order this dinner to go?"

"No," Gnasher answered. "Why?"

"Because THERE IT GOES!"

(A/N: You gotta love The Lion King. XD)

Gnasher looked up and saw Chopper running away as fast as little legs could carry him.

"Don't just stand there, you mugs!" Gnasher snapped at Shirozakura and Bongo. "Go after him!"

The dogs soon gave chase after Chopper, barking wildly, with trails of saliva falling from the gnashing jaws. Chopper could hear them getting closer as he ran for his life, and as panic began to overcome him, he could only manage to scream one word.

"BLIZZARD~!"

XXX

Somewhere nearby, Blizzard's ears perked up at the sound of Chopper's voice screaming for help.

"Chopper?" he questioned.

XXX

Chopper ran as fast as he could throughout the junkyard, climbing up and over mounds of garbage, getting his hooves cut by shards of broken glass as he ran, and also, just tiring himself out. He hoped the dogs would tire out before he did, though. He hated always having to run away like this, but in this case, his very life was at stake.

He did everything he could to try and lose the trio: causing an avalanche of trash, make quick turns, and making a fake trail for them to follow, but nothing seem to work.

These dogs were smarter than he thought!

"Give it up, kid!" Gnasher barked after him.

"Yeah! Just make it easier on yourself!" Shirozakura shouted.

Just when the dogs were closing in on poor Chopper, a white blur jumped down from one of the mounds of garbage and landed in between him and the dogs.

It was Blizzard to the rescue!

The dogs cowered at the sight of Blizzard's stature, and Chopper hid himself behind the huge wolf-dog's legs.

"What the hell do you bastards think you're doing?!" Blizzard growled, baring his fangs in the trio's faces while they lowered themselves down with their ears folded back and their tails between their legs.

"H-hey," said Gnasher. "Calm down, okay? We just wanted the deer-"

"He's a REINDEER!" Blizzard corrected. "And he's MY little buddy!"

"Oh, wait, he's with you?" Gnasher asked, smiling nervously. "W-well why didn't you say so?!"

"I AM saying so!" Blizzard snapped. "Listen, you filthy little parasites. If you EVER come near Chopper again- hell, if you even so much as LOOK at him, I'll tear you all apart, limb-from-freaking-limb! Understand me?!"

Gnasher, Shirozakura, and Bongo just shivered.

"I said GOT THAT?!" Blizzard roared.

No answer.

Instead, the dogs just turned tail and ran like there was no tomorrow, yowling in fear.

Blizzard snorted as he watched them make their exit.

"What a bunch of bums," he said. He then turned to Chopper. "Hey, Chopper, they didn't hurt you, ri- Chopper?"

Chopper was walking away, hanging his head low.

"Chopper?" Blizzard called after him, only to receive no response. "Chopper, where are you going? Wait!"

The wolf-dog followed Chopper, who was quite a distance away, but not too far so that he couldn't see him. Still, Blizzard couldn't shake the thought that the Chopper was deliberately trying to keep his distance from him…but why?

XXX

By the time Chopper stopped walking around the junkyard, aimlessly, Blizzard found him sitting on a mound of trash, looking out to the horizon.

It was already sunset.

Blizzard climbed up the mound and sat next to Chopper. Granted, it was a bit a hard to do so because all the junk made it uncomfortable, but the wolf-dog managed to get himself settled.

There was a bit of an awkward silence until Blizzard decided to speak.

"Wow," he said. "Look at that sunset, huh? I can't believe we've been gone that long. Nami's probably pissed, wondering what's taking us so long to get back, right?" He chuckled. "And Luffy…ah, that poor guy's stomach must be killing him, by now." He chuckled some more.

No response. Not even a giggle.

Blizzard heaved a sigh. He hated when Chopper was acting all silent like this.

"Okay, Chopper," said Blizzard. "What's going on? Why are you giving me the silent treatment all of a sudden? I'm starting to get this feeling that you don't want me around!"

A pause came. Then Chopper looked up at Blizzard with serious eyes.

"You're right, Blizzard," he said. "I didn't want you to come with me."

"Why didn't you?" Blizzard asked.

"Because I thought that you thought that I couldn't take care of myself," Chopper said. "And…you were right. I can't. When I saw those dogs, the first thing I did was get scared, then I just ran! Ever after two years, I'm still weak…and I still have to depend on you to protect me."

Blizzard's eyes went wide. Now it made sense.

Chopper was afraid to show that he was still a coward after those two years.

"Chopper," said Blizzard. "You're not considered a coward because you run away from trouble. That's what reindeer are supposed to do! It's part of your instinct! You were born with it!"

"Sometimes, I wish I didn't have that instinct," Chopper said. "I may be a reindeer, but I think like a human does. Blizzard…I trained for two years not just to help the others, but to defend myself for once and not depend on anybody!"

"But Chopper," said Blizzard, "that's what being part of a pirate crew is about. We look after each other, no matter what. Sure, you may not like it at first, but…that's how it is. We're like family. Okay, I admit it. I came with you because I was afraid for you, but that doesn't mean I think you're weak."

Chopper looked up at Blizzard.

"Chopper…look, I don't just come with you into town whenever you go shopping to help," Blizzard continued, "I'm afraid that one day, we'll end up getting jumped by someone…and something terrible might happen to you if I can't do anything to help."

"Are you saying you're afraid that you might lose me?" asked Chopper.

Blizzard sighed and nodded his head.

"I'm afraid of it a lot more than I was two years ago," said Blizzard.

"Was it because of what happened with Kuma?"

"Well…it was actually because what happened during the Paramount War."

"Because of Ace, right?"

"Y…yeah."

Chopper noticed some hesitation in Blizzard's voice, but decided to put if off for now.

"Anyway, Chopper," said Blizzard. "You're my little buddy. No, you know what? You're more than that. You're like my little brother…and…I don't think I could live without you. Sure, I may be a bit overprotective, I admit it…but I don't know what I'd do if something happened to you. I…I guess you could say…I love you, Chopper. You know, in that big-brother-little-brother way."

Chopper smiled, his eyes starting to tear up, before he went to hug Blizzard's leg.

"I…I love you, too, Blizzard," he said.

Blizzard smiled and pulled Chopper into a loving embrace.

"So…I guess even you can get scared, huh?" the little reindeer mused.

"Yup," Blizzard answered.

"But you know what?"

"What?"

"I bet that those dumb dogs were more scared than you were."

Blizzard snickered.

"That's because nobody's gonna mess with my little brother and get away with it," he said before he picked Chopper up, pulled off his hat, and began to roughly but playfully brush his paw against his head.

"Hey!" Chopper exclaimed, laughing as he tried to pull away. "Let go, you bastard! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!"

Blizzard laughed as Chopper pulled away and then jumped at him, causing both of them to tumble down from the mound of trash, surprisingly unscathed.

Blizzard heaved a sigh as he stood up.

"Well, c'mon," the wolf-dog said as he stood up.

"Can I have a lift?" Chopper asked.

Blizzard smiled and lowered himself to Chopper's height level so that the reindeer could climb safely up.

"Ready to go?" Blizzard asked as he stood up.

Chopper nodded his head.

"Then hold on tight!" the wolf-dog declared before he ran off at full speed with Chopper cheering the whole way.

However, they didn't realize that they were being watched.

It was Gnasher and his two flunkies.

"How dare that bastard humiliate me," he said. "When we see him, again…he's gonna pay."

XXX

"Thank you! Come again!"

"We will!"

Blizzard and Chopper left the pharmacy, just as night was beginning to fall, with some medicine for Luffy's upset stomach safely packed away in the latter's medical bag. The road was still closed by the time the two got out, so it appeared that they'd have to take the junkyard to get back to the ship.

They were in quite a hurry, too, for they knew that Luffy was probably wondering where they were with his medicine, and they also knew that they might've possibly incurred Nami's wrath.

The road was still closed, so it looked like they had to go around and take the junkyard, again.

"It looks a lot creepier than it was, earlier today," Chopper commented.

"Yeah, well don't let it get to ya," said Blizzard. "We'll be out soon, hopefully."

"I hope you're right," Chopper said.

However, Chopper's ears twitched when he heard what sounded like a **THUNK!** And it sounded like it was coming from behind.

"W-what was that?" the little reindeer asked.

Blizzard looked back, eyes narrowed and ears pricked.

"Who's there?" the wolf-dog said with a growl in his voice.

Who else could it be but Gnasher and his two flunkies?

The three dogs came skulking out of the shadows.

"Going somewhere?" asked Gnasher.

"Yeah," Blizzard answered, "but I don't see why we should tell you."

"Yeah," Chopper agreed. "Not leave us alone! We're in a hurry!"

"I don't think so," said Shirozakura. "You see, you made the boss pretty angry, and when he's angry, so are we. Right, Bongo?"

Bongo let out a sinister chuckle.

Suddenly, Blizzard's and Chopper's ears twitched, and they looked around and saw the forms of all these dogs coming out from the mounds of trash, slowly surrounding them. First there are 7...then 10...then 24...then 35...then 48...then 52...and finally, 69 dogs.

Blizzard growled. He could handle 69 dogs. Hell, he fought at least hundreds of Marines back at Marineford. Chopper, on the other hand, looked to scared to fight anything.

"Chopper, get outta here!" Blizzard ordered. "Don't worry about me! I'll catch up with you!"

"A-are you sure?" asked Chopper.

"Positive," Blizzard answered. "Now go! Get going!"

Chopper jumped from Blizzard's back, shifted into his Walk Point form, and then hightailed it out of there, leaving his brother behind to behind to fight the dog. Truth be told, the reindeer didn't really want to leave him, but…he was just too scared.

"Once we're done with you," Gnasher began, "we'll go after the reindeer, next."

"Like hell, you will," Blizzard hissed, venomously.

Gnasher narrowed his eyes at Blizzard, and then turned to his followers.

"Kill him…"

The dogs lunged at Blizzard for the attack, forcing the wolf-dog to charge back at them.

XXX

"Ugh…where are those two?!"

Nami paced back and forth on the deck with arms crossed, her frustration hiding her worry.

It's dark out, and Blizzard and Chopper still haven't returned!

"What could be keeping those two?" Nami asked to no one in particular. "That's it! I'm going to look for them!"

**Tmp! Tmp! Tmp!**

Nami gasped silently at the sound of footsteps, and she spotted a familiar figure, walking up the gangplank.

It's Blizzard with Chopper riding shotgun on his back, but…they were both covered in cuts and bruises!

"What in the world happened to you two?!" Nami questioned, shocked.

Chopper chuckled, albeit a bit weakly.

"We kinda got into a bit of a scrape," he said. "Sorry we took so long getting back, Nami. Oh, right!"

He reached into his medical bag and pulled out a small packet.

"Here's the medicine for Luffy's stomachache!" he said, grinning proudly.

"Oh, Chopper," Nami said. "Thanks, but Luffy doesn't need it, anymore."

Chopper and Blizzard dropped their jaws.

"He doesn't?" the former asked. "How come?"

"Because of this," Nami replied as she revealed a shiny red ruby in her hand the size of a human heart, making the doctor and guard dog gasp.

"W…where did that come from?!" Chopper asked.

"It turns out Luffy had this in his stomach, the whole time," Nami said. "He was going to give it to me as a present, but then he fell asleep, so he put it up on top of the boys' lockers to give it to me later. When he woke up, he bumped the locker and the ruby fell into his mouth and he accidentally swallowed it, and it's been bothering his stomach ever since. He finally coughed it up while you guys were gone. Funny, huh?"

"So…we went into town and got medicine for nothing?" Chopper questioned, disappointed.

**Grrruff!** Blizzard barked in disappointment as well.

"Sorry, guys," Nami apologized, "but hey! Think of it, this way! At least you have some medicine stocked up, just in case Luffy does get tummy troubles, again."

With that, Nami turned and left, and Chopper sighed.

"I can't believe we went through going into town and fighting a pack of crazy junkyard dogs for nothing!" Chopper said.

"Tell me about it," Blizzard agreed.

"Oh, well," Chopper muttered before he jumped down from Blizzard's back and headed for the sick bay. "Let's go get our wounds patched up."

"Yeah," Blizzard agreed before he followed the reindeer.

"Hey, Chopper?" he suddenly called.

"Hmm?"

"Thanks for…you know…coming back for me."

Chopper turned to Blizzard and smiled.

_Flashback_

Blizzard was fighting off the dogs as they piled on top of him, one-by-one. The wolf-dog easily shook them off and slammed into walls of garbage.

"What's wrong, Gnasher?!" he asked the Setter mix. "You too scared to fight me on your own?!"

Gnasher just stared and watched.

Just then, **BAM!** Something rammed into Gnasher from behind, and then joined Blizzard's side.

"What the hell?!" he shouted as he got to his paws. "Who just-"

He gasped.

It's Chopper, in his Walk Point form!

"Leave my big brother alone!" he exclaimed.

"Chopper, what are you doing here?!" Blizzard asked. "I told you to run for it!"

"A Straw Hat Pirate never abandons his crew!" Chopper declared. "Right, Blizzard?"

Blizzard stared at Chopper in surprise, but then grinned.

"Right," he answered.

"How touching," Gnasher commented. "Now you can both die together!"

"Like that'll happen!" Blizzard spat.

"Just stay outta our way!" Chopper added.

"Boys!" Gnasher shouted. "Kill them both! I want their heads on the ground!"

_Flashback end_

"Of course I came back," Chopper said. "I had to. You're my big brother, right?"

"That's right, Chopper," Blizzard said, "and I'm proud to be your big brother."

"And I'm proud to be your little brother," said Chopper.

With that, Blizzard gently pulled Chopper into an embrace and nuzzled him affectionately.

"I know I said this already," Blizzard started, "but I'll say it as many times as I want. I love you, Chopper."

"I love you, too, Blizzard," Chopper said.

**THE END**

* * *

Here's another one! Been working on this FOREVER, and I finally got it up!

Review, please!


	3. To Warm the Body and the Heart

One Piece: To Warm the Body and the Heart

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

* * *

Summary- During his training on Rusukaina, Luffy decides to leave his best friend a present, just to help him keep warm during the snowy season…and perhaps to let him know what he's thinking about him.

* * *

Rusukaina.

An island in the Calm Belt with 48 seasons every year. The island was once home to a civilization, but now, wild animals roam these lands. Right now, it is cold and rather breezy, so it meant that it might snow soon.

In the middle of the jungle, two men are sitting in the plush green grass, cross-legged with eyes closed, as if in meditation.

"Concentrate, Luffy."

"Right. Concentrate. Think, think, think, think-"

**WHAK!**

"OUCH!" An eighteen-year-old Luffy cried as he was painfully struck on the top of his skull by Rayleigh's staff.

"No, Luffy," Rayleigh said. "Not think. _Feel_. Observation Haki is about your sense of hearing and touch. Sense the vibrations around you."

Luffy nodded in understanding before he closed his eyes again. He took a deep breath, and then let it out.

Suddenly, he heard something. Something like a soft rumbling noise, but it started getting louder.

"Hey!" Luffy said. "Rayleigh! I think I can feel one!"

"No, Luffy, that's just your stomach growling," Rayleigh said.

Luffy looked down at his stomach, which is growling quite loudly. He wrapped his arms around his belly and chuckled sheepishly.

Rayleigh couldn't help but laugh.

"Can't really train on an empty stomach," he said. "I think we can take a break from training for lunch."

"Yeah, lunch!" Luffy cheered.

XXX

**CHOMP! MUNCH! MUNCH! GULP! SMACK!** Luffy chomped on a huge slab of meat from an elephant that he and Rayleigh had brought down, earlier.

It's been one year since Luffy had begun his training with Rayleigh. So far, he had mastered Armaments Haki and Conqueror's Haki, but he still had Observation Haki to work on. Still, Rayleigh was impressed that the young man had mastered the other two forms so quickly. It wouldn't surprise him if Luffy managed to master the last one so soon, as well.

**URRRRRRRRRRPP!** Luffy let out a monstrous belch that reverberated throughout the jungle, so much so, that it sent any birds nearby flying away.

"Scuse me," said Luffy as he patted his engorged belly. "Whew! I'm stuffed!"

Rayleigh chuckled.

"Thanks for the food, Rayleigh," said Luffy.

"My pleasure, Luffy," Rayleigh replied.

Suddenly, Luffy sees something starting to slowly fall from the sky. It was white, it was small, and it melted the moment it fell on his nose.

"Huh," Rayleigh said. "Well, what do you know? It must be the snowy season, already."

Luffy, whose bloated stomach had slimmed down, sat up and watched the snow fall, and as he did, he suddenly felt very saddened. He heaved a sigh as he hugged his knees to his chest.

Rayleigh noticed this, and then put his hand on the young man's shoulder.

"You're thinking about Blizzard, again, aren't you?" he asked, plain and simple.

Luffy nodded in response.

"Luffy," Rayleigh said. "I know it's hard and you can't help but miss Blizzard-"

"It's not just Blizzard," Luffy interrupted. "It's my whole crew. I know I did the right thing, but Rayleigh…it's hard knowing I have to wait another year until I can see them, again."

"Well, at least you know that at least one of them is not too far away," Rayleigh said.

"Even if Blizzard is on the island," Luffy began, "I know I'm not allowed to see him."

Rayleigh sighed and patted Luffy's back.

"Now, now," he said. "Let's not spend this time being all melancholy. After you've rested, we'll continue training."

As Rayleigh stood up, Luffy spotted something dangling out of his coat. It looked like it was a piece of cloth with red-and-white candy cane stripes.

"Hey, Rayleigh!" Luffy called to his mentor as he was walking away. "What's that? A big candy cane?"

"Hmm?" Rayleigh hummed, questioningly before he looked down at the thing hanging out of his cane. "Oh! No, Luffy. It's not a candy cane." He pulled whatever it is out, and revealed that it was a long, red-and-white striped wool scarf.

"Oh," Luffy said. "It's just a scarf."

"Shakky gave it to me before I left Sabaody," Rayleigh explained. "She said I might need it, but I don't know why. I'm not even cold." He turned to face Luffy.

"How about you, Luffy?" he asked. "You want it?"

"Nope," Luffy answered.

"Oh, well," Rayleigh said. "I might as well throw this thing away."

"Wait, Rayleigh!"

Rayleigh turned to face Luffy, again.

"I may not need that scarf and you may not need it," said Luffy, "but I think I know someone who might!"

Rayleigh grinned.

XXX

After much walking, Luffy and Rayleigh had reached a pond somewhere in the Southeast of the island.

"Why'd we come all the way here, Luffy?" asked Rayleigh.

"Just hang on a minute, Rayleigh," said Luffy.

Rayleigh crossed his arms in waiting. Luffy knelt down and placed his hand on the ground. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then exhaled.

In his head, he saw a white wolf-looking dog, about the size of a Great Dane, with cherry blossom pink eyes and two scars- one on the right side of his nose and the other on his left shoulder- approaching the pond and beginning to lap up the water with his tongue.

Luffy opened his eyes, grinning confidently, before he turned to Rayleigh.

"Blizzard comes down here everyday for a drink water!" he said.

Rayleigh smiled at Luffy.

"Good work, Luffy," he praised. "I think you're starting to get the hang of your Observation Haki."

Luffy grinned and chuckled.

"Blizzard sure has gotten big, it looks like," he said. "He's about as tall as me, now!"

"So," said Rayleigh, "shall we leave it for him?"

Luffy eyed the scarf in Rayleigh's hands as it was being handed to him. He took the piece of clothing and rubbed it on himself.

"That way, he'll know it's from me," said Luffy.

"Good idea, Luffy," said Rayleigh.

And so, after wrapping the scarf around a nearby rock, mentor and pupil took their leave, and not long after they did, someone else entered the area.

Blizzard, thirsty after a long morning of doing battle with the local tigers, had come to his pond to get a nice drink. However, as the snow began to fall, he began to feel rather cold, even with his thick coat of fur.

As Blizzard approached the pond, his nose caught the familiar scent of…meat and old straw.

_Luffy?_ the wolf-dog thought.

**Sniff! Sniff!** Blizzard sniffed the air, trying to find the source of the scent, and that's when he found it: the scarf that Luffy had left for him.

_A scarf?_ Blizzard thought. _Luffy…did you leave this for me so I wouldn't get cold?_

Touched by his master's act of good will, Blizzard took the scarf off the rock and wrapped it around his neck with is paws. It was quite difficult to do so without thumbs, but he got the job done.

With the scarf now securely tied on, Blizzard got his drink of water, and then headed off back into the jungle, his neck…and his heart feeling much warmer than before.

XXX

That night, Luffy had finished his training for the day, and is now ready to settle down at the base camp and get a good night's rest for tomorrow.

"I wonder if Blizzard got that scarf," Luffy wondered.

"Who knows?" Rayleigh asked with a smirk. "You'll see in about another year."

"Yeah," Luffy agreed.

"For now, get some rest, Luffy," said Rayleigh. "A man needs his rest."

Luffy nodded in agreement before he went to lie down on his spot, but as he did…

_**AWWOOOOOOOOOO~!**_ A long, eerie howl was made.

Luffy and Rayleigh looked up, but they didn't need to see the owner of that howl to know who it belonged to.

"Goodnight, Blizzard," Luffy said with a smile. "See you in a year, buddy. I miss you."

Rayleigh's smile also grew a bit wider as he chortled in his throat.

With a yawn, Luffy soon fell asleep, and somewhere in the jungle, a white wolf-dog with a red-and-white striped scarf as doing the same.

**THE END…**

* * *

A one shot to explain how Blizzard got his new scarf after the timeskip.

Review, please!


	4. Lonely Nights

One Piece: Lonely Nights

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

* * *

Summary- It's Robin's turn on watch, tonight, but the archeologist feels lonely…until a certain swordsman comes in, unannounced. Post time-skip. Contains Luffy/Nami and slight Zoro/Robin fluff.

* * *

Nighttime on the _Thousand Sunny_. The ship is anchored in the middle of the sea, so the Straw Hat Pirates don't end up drifting off in the middle of the night to who-knows-where. The crew is just getting ready to settle into bed…except one.

Tonight, it's Nico Robin's turn on watch duty. She is currently in the women's quarters with Nami, who is sitting in bed with Monkey D. Luffy, who, unsurprisingly, is snoring away. Luffy came in because he simply just wanted to sleep with Nami tonight, not because of a candy-induced stomachache or because he was upset about something. A few belly rubs from the navigator, and the captain had drifted off to dreamland.

"Well, Miss Navigator," said Robin as she picked up a book to read, "I'm off to the crow's nest."

"Okay," Nami said. "See you in the morning, Robin."

As Robin left to exit the women's quarters, she turned to glance at Nami, who smiled down at the snoozing Luffy and kissed his forehead as he slept before she turned off the lamp, settled into her bed, and rested her head against the captain's chest, smiling affectionately. Her lover seemed to smile in his sleep, as well.

Robin's smile drooped, slightly, and then she heaved a quiet sigh before she headed for the crow's nest. As she walked, she noticed Blizzard, lying down on the grassy deck, asleep. The archeologist smiled at the slumbering dog, and then, **SWUP!** An arm sprouted from the wolf-dog's neck and gently scratched his ears, causing him to awaken. Blizzard seemed startled, at first, but when he realized it was just Robin, he greeted her with a wagging tail.

"I see that I'm not the only one who is alone, tonight," said Robin.

Blizzard tilted his head in puzzlement, causing Robin to chuckle.

"Never mind," she said. "Goodnight, Blizzard."

Blizzard yawned before he returned to his sleep, and Robin continued on to the crow's nest, but as she did, she saw, out of the corner of her eye, Chopper, approaching Blizzard. The little reindeer didn't speak. Instead, he curled himself up against Blizzard's side, and then wrapped his big, bushy tail around him like a blanket.

Once again, Robin's smile fell, and she sighed quietly before she climbed up to the crow's nest.

XXX

"Another book finished."

Robin closed her book and set it down in her lap. Apparently, she finished it sooner than she thought, and she just bought it yesterday. Still, she couldn't help but feel rather…lonely. She didn't know why she felt like that, recently. Maybe she was just feeling a bit jealous seeing Luffy and Nami together a lot more than they used to after the two years. Maybe it's because…well…who knows what else?

Suddenly, Robin sensed the trap door opening, and, being constantly on the alert as always, she turned around with arms crossed.

"GAH! Wait! Robin, stop! It's me! Zoro!"

Robin gasped and saw that she had unwittingly trapped Zoro in her many-armed grasp.

"Oh, Zoro," Robin said. "I'm so sorry."

"It's all right," Zoro said. "Uh…do you mind…?"

"Oh, yes, of course," said Robin as she released Zoro.

"Thanks," said the swordsman.

"You do know it's my turn to be on watch tonight, don't you, Zoro?" asked Robin.

"Yeah, but…I just come up here for some late night training," Zoro replied as he turned and closed the trap door behind himself.

Robin once again looked out the window as Zoro sat down on the lounge, right next to her, picked up a 20 pound dumbbell, and started lifting it. As he did, he eyed the book that Robin had finished.

"Isn't that the book you bought the other day?" Zoro asked.

"Yes," Robin replied. "I finished it sooner than I thought, I'm afraid."

"What's it called?"

"It's called _'Rapunzel'_. It's a story about a girl who was taken from her parents at birth by a with as a price to pay for an accused theft. When she grew up, she was the most beautiful woman in the land, and her hair grew very long, but she had become desperately lonely because the witch had imprisoned her in a tower with no way out. Then one day, a prince heard her singing and came to see her, and eventually, he uses her hair to climb into the tower and they fell in love with each other."

"Oh, so it' one of those boring 'happily-ever-after' fairy tales, right?" Zoro questioned, bluntly.

Now, normally, one might get peeved at such words, but Robin was used to the swordsman's narcissistic attitude, so she just chortled in her throat.

"So, what happened next?" asked Zoro.

"Well, the witch found out about the prince," Robin continued, "and, in her anger, she cut off Rapunzel's hair and sent her away to live in the woods to fend for herself. When the prince returned, the witch pushes him off the tower, and he becomes blinded when he falls in the thorns below."

"Damn," Zoro cursed in disbelief. "That's messed up."

"After searching for many months, the prince was about to give up looking for Rapunzel," Robin said, "but then, he hears her singing nearby a river, and Rapunzel's tears magically restore his sight."

"How do tears cure blindness?" Zoro questioned. "It makes no sense."

Robin rolled her eyes.

"In these type of stories, love has a way," said Robin. "So, in the end, Rapunzel and the prince had twins together and lived happily ever after."

A pause, but then, it is interrupted by the sound of snoring.

Zoro had, unsurprisingly, fallen asleep. Also unsurprisingly, he is still lifting the dumbbell in his hand.

Robin chuckled and set the book in her lap aside, and then looked to the snoring Zoro.

_He certainly looks comfortable,_ thought the historian. _I wonder…_

Robin inched a bit closer to Zoro, and then, she slowly leaned her head on the swordsman's shoulder and closed her eyes. Although she didn't intend to do so, this action caused Zoro to wake up, but when he looked to Robin, who had fallen asleep, he felt his cheeks get warm as they flushed a bright pink, and instead of awakening her…he just fell right back to sleep, too…while he secretly draped an arm around the archeologist's shoulder.

From that night on…Robin didn't feel so lonely anymore.

**THE END**

* * *

Another short but sweet one, and this one contains some ZoRo!

Review, please!


	5. Forgive and Forget

One Piece: Forgive and Forget

* * *

One Piece © Oda

* * *

Summary- Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper accidentally ruin Nami's tangerine trees, and when they try to make amends, they seem to make her even angrier. Pre-time-skip, pre-Jaya arc. No pairing. Family-shipping.

* * *

Another usual day on the _Going Merry_, about a few days after the adventure in Alabasta and after Nico Robin joined up.

"C'mon! Lift me higher!"

"We're trying! Luffy, hold still, down there!"

"Why is Chopper on top, anyway?! I'm the captain!"

Monkey D. Luffy, Usopp, and Tony-Tony Chopper are up to their usual antics, again. They had formed a human ladder (or, in this case, a human-and-reindeer ladder) to try and reach up to Nami's tangerine grove in an attempt to steal the sweet, juicy fruits for themselves. Usopp had convinced the other two that as long as Nami (or Sanji) didn't see them taking them without permission, then they didn't have to pay the fine.

However, taking the tangerines proved to be easier said than done. Even while he sat upon Usopp's shoulders with Luffy holding him up at the bottom, Chopper found that he was still a bit too short to reach for the tangerines, and he knew that if he shifted into Heavy Point, he would become too heavy for the sniper to hold up.

"C'mon, Chopper!" Usopp said. "Nami could be back, any minute now!"

"I'm trying!" Chopper said. "You guys aren't being very steady!"

"I still don't see why Chopper has to be on top!" Luffy said. "C'mon! I'm the captain, here! I should be on top!"

"Luffy, does it really matter, right now?" asked Usopp.

"Yes, it does!" Luffy shouted. "Let me on top!"

"No!" Usopp answered. "And be quiet! You'll give us away!"

"G-guys, stop! Hold still!" Chopper cried.

Before they knew it, the Childish Trio toppled over in a heap. Chopper tried to keep balance by grabbing onto the top of one of the tangerine trees, but instead, **KRAK!** He ended up breaking it off, instead!

"Ow~!" Usopp seethed. "Dammit, Luffy!"

"Sorry," Luffy apologized.

"EEK!"

Luffy and Usopp looked the sound of Chopper's shriek, and saw, to their horror, that he was holding the broken treetop in his hooves.

"AAAH!" Luffy yelped as he swiped the piece of tree out of the doctor's grasp. "CHOPPER! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

"IT WASN'T MY FAULT!" Chopper cried.

"Oh, man, when Nami sees this, we are DEAD!" Luffy exclaimed. "D-E-D, DEAD!"

"Luffy, there's an 'A' in 'dead'," Usopp corrected. "And we shouldn't really make such a big deal out of this!"

"ARE YOU INSANE, MAN?!" Luffy shouted. "OF COURSE WE SHOULD! Nami and her tangerine trees are like me and my hat! They're her greatest treasure, AND WE BROKE ONE OF THEM! WE'RE DOOMED!"

"DOOMED?!" Chopper repeated.

"Relax!" Usopp said. "Listen! It's not that bad! Maybe Nami didn't notice!"

"Oh. She noticed."

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper whipped around and saw Nami, standing behind them with a very peeved look on her face, gently batting the palm of her hand with her Clima-Tact.

"Nami!" Usopp cried, but then put on a sheepish smile. "W-what a surprise! We were just talking about you!" He made a nervous chuckle.

"Do you boys mind explaining to me why the top of one of my tangerine trees is broken before I beat you all to a bloody pulp?" Nami asked.

"Well, uh…you see, Nami," Usopp said, trying to think up a good lie, but with Nami staring right at him with her angry visage, he was getting too scared to do so, and knowing that Luffy and Chopper are about to panic, too, well…it didn't help much.

"You guys broke it, didn't you?" Nami asked.

"IT WAS CHOPPER'S FAULT!" Luffy shouted.

"NO, IT WASN'T!" Chopper screamed. "I mean, I did break it, but I didn't mean to! Besides, Luffy wouldn't hold still!"

"Usopp wouldn't let me be on top!" Luffy argued.

"Why are you dragging me into this?!" Usopp questioned.

"ENOUGH!" Nami shouted.

The boys yelped and jumped back from the navigator, who began to stomp, threateningly towards them, causing them to back away.

"You three…are in DEEP CRAP!" she yelled.

"B-but, Nami-" Luffy started.

"NO BUTS!" snapped Nami. "To pay for all the DAMAGE you three caused, I'm fining all three of you 300,000 BERRIES, EACH! And unless you pay it, I AM NEVER SPEAKING TO YOU, **AGAIN!**"

The boys gasped before Nami stalked off to the girls' room.

"Hey, Usopp?" Luffy asked. "This wasn't really a good idea."

"I know," said Usopp.

"So…what do we do?" Chopper asked.

"Well, I'll tell you this," Usopp said. "There is NO WAY we can come up with the money to pay Nami!"

"We better apologize," said Luffy.

Chopper and Usopp looked at Luffy.

"We hurt Nami's treasure," the captain continued. "For that, she deserves to be mad at us."

"Why you gotta put it like that?" Usopp asked.

"How are we gonna apologize to Nami?" asked Chopper. "You heard what she said. She's not gonna speak to us, now unless we pay her that fine."

"Maybe we won't have to!" Usopp piped up. "Gentlemen! I have an idea!"

Luffy and Chopper beamed at that.

XXX

Nami was working on another one of her maps with Robin sitting in the lounge chair behind her, reading a book, as usual.

"Robin?" Nami asked. "Don't you ever do anything else besides read books?"

"Why, whatever do you mean, Miss Navigator?" asked Robin.

Nami was about to open her mouth to speak, but then, she heard the sound of the door opening. Turning around, the navigator sees Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, the first of the trio with his hands behind his back.

"Oh, it's you three morons," said Nami, unenthusiastically. "Well, what do you want? Are you here to pay the fine? If not, get out! I told you, I'm not speaking to you until you do!"

"Actually, Nami," Usopp said. "We wanted to bring you something."

"Oh, really?" Nami asked. "Such as?"

Usopp turned to Luffy with a grin.

"Luffy? If you would?" he asked.

Luffy pulled out a sheet of paper from his back.

"Here, Nami!" he said. "We made it for you!"

Nami looked at the paper and she gasped before she grabbed it out of Luffy's hands.

"This is my MAP PAPER, YOU JERKS!" Nami shouted. "WHERE DID YOU GET THIS?!"

"Luffy, you said that was YOUR paper!" Chopper complained.

"I found it lying around Nami's desk!" Luffy argued.

"If it was on her desk, WHO DO YOU THINK IT BELONGED TO?!" Usopp shouted.

"QUIET!" Nami shouted before she began to crumple up the paper. "Now that you guys did your little doodles on this, I can't use it now! It's a waste, and you know I hate wasting my paper!"

**TOSS!** She threw it into the trash can beside her desk.

"But, Nami-" Luffy began.

"GET OUT!" Nami snapped at them. "ALL THREE OF YOU, GET OUT! Also, YOU NOW OWE ME 100% INTEREST!"

"But-"

"**OUT!**"

Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper yelped before they turned and ran out the door, which slammed behind them.

"…we were only trying to say 'sorry'," said Luffy.

"Well, that didn't work," Usopp said.

"Now I feel really bad," Chopper chimed in.

"Well, now what do we do?" asked Luffy.

"I dunno," Usopp said. "That was the only idea I had."

XXX

Nami sat back in her chair, her hands over her face in anger and frustration.

"What did I ever do to deserve a trio of complete imbeciles?!" she questioned to no one in particular. "They ruin EVERYTHING they touch! First my tangerines, now my map paper! UGH!"

"My, my…"

Nami looked back and saw that Robin had momentarily put down her book and is now looking at the unrolled piece of paper that Nami had thrown away.

"Those three boys really do care about you, don't they?" Robin asked.

"What are you talking about?" questioned Nami.

Robin, using her Flower-Flower Fruit powers, gave the paper to Nami, who snatched out of her hands. However, when she looked at the paper again, she soon started to regret kicking the boys out.

There was a drawing on the paper of Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, all embracing a smiling Nami. The art was obviously done by Usopp, but the words above it were obviously Luffy's handwriting, considering how sloppy it looked. There were also what appeared to be pink hoofprints on it, obviously done by Chopper.

The writing, although somewhat illegible, said "WEERE SARI NAMI", which was clearly Luffy's way of spelling "We're sorry, Nami".

Nami sighs and lowers the paper in her hand.

"Great," she said, sarcastically.

XXX

As Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper made their way to their room below deck, Nami suddenly came outside.

"Boys!" she called them, causing them to cringe.

"Oh, no," Usopp whispered. "PLEASE don't tell me she's gonna yell at us, again!"

"Yeah, Nami?" Luffy asked as the trio turned to face the navigator.

Nami approached the boys, and then, unexpectedly…she opened her arms.

"I can't stay mad at you guys," she said.

Surprised, at first, the Childish Trio beamed at Nami, and then ran to her, embracing her in a group hug.

"I love you guys," she said.

"We love you, too, Nami!" said the boys.

"And we'll never hurt your treasure, again," Luffy said. "We promise."

Nami smiled at them.

"And I'm sorry I kept snapping at you guys," she said.

"We forgive you, Nami," said Chopper.

"So…do this mean we don't have to pay that fine, anymore?" Usopp asked, hopefully.

"Not a chance," Nami answered.

"WHAT?!" Usopp shouted. "OH, COME ON! WE SAID 'SORRY'! THERE'S NO WAY WE CAN COME UP WITH THE MONEY!"

Luffy is just laughing his head off.

**THE END…**

* * *

Review, please!


	6. Blizzard and Chopper Tell A Story

One Piece: Blizzard and Chopper Tell a Story

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

* * *

Summary- Chopper can't sleep, so he asks Blizzard to tell him a story. However, they end up waking up the Straw Hats, so they decide to tell the story together. Contains friendship, as well as slight Luffy/Nami and some Zoro/Robin fluff. Post time-skip.

* * *

Another night on the _Thousand Sunny_, and the crew on board is sound asleep.

Well, almost.

Tony-Tony Chopper is lying in his bed, wide awake in the men's quarters, while the rest of the guys were snoring away. He didn't know why, but he just couldn't get to sleep. He just wasn't tired enough, and if he wasn't tired, now, he'd really be tired in the morning, and he didn't want that, because there was no telling what could happen, tomorrow. The crew could run into hostile waters and Chopper would be too pooped to try and help.

Heaving a sigh, Chopper got out of bed. There was only one person…actually, one _animal_, who could help him. He walked over to the bed in the corner of the room and saw Blizzard, sleeping upside down in it.

"Blizzard," he called, only to be answered with a loud snore. "Blizzard? Could you wake up, please?"

Blizzard snored once again, this time louder.

Chopper, now a bit peeved, took in a deep breath.

"WAKE UP, BLIZZARD!" he shouted.

Blizzard did indeed awaken, but when Chopper shouted, he unwittingly woke up the others, too.

"Hey!" Zoro said. "What the hell is with the shouting?!"

"Yeah, we're trying to sleep!" Usopp added.

"Is it breakfast, already?" Luffy mumbled, sleepily, as he scratched his tummy.

"What's going on?" asked Franky.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Nami walks in with Robin following not too far behind.

"Who the hell is shouting?" Nami asked. "I'm trying to have my beauty sleep!"

"Oh, great," Sanji said. "Look what you did to poor Nami and Robin, Chopper!"

"Sorry, guys," said Chopper. "I didn't mean to wake anybody…well, except for Blizzard."

"Why wake Mister Blizzard?" asked Brook.

"Yeah, what's wrong, Chopper?" Luffy asked.

Blizzard looked at Chopper, tilting his head and whimpering in concern.

"I…I can't sleep," said the little reindeer.

"Aww, Chopper," Nami said as she went to embrace the little reindeer. "How long has this been going on?"

"Just now," Chopper replied. "I just can't sleep. I'm not tired enough, so I woke Blizzard to ask him…if he could tell me a story."

Blizzard smiled.

**Ruff!** He barked.

"Huh?" asked Chopper. "You will tell me a story, Blizzard?"

"Huh? A story?!" Luffy repeated, excitedly. "Oh, boy!" he rushed over and sat down in front of Blizzard. "Go on, Blizzard! Tell the story!"

"I guess I could listen, too," Usopp agreed as he went to sit with him.

"Yeah, go on, Blizzard," said Nami as she sat next to Luffy. "Go ahead and tell us a story."

"This will be the first time I ever heard a story being told by a dog," Robin commented with a smile as she sat down, too, next to Zoro.

"If Nami and Robin want to hear, then so do I~!" Sanji swooned.

"Idiot," Zoro grumbled.

"What?!" Sanji questioned.

Soon, everyone sat down in front of the wolf-dog.

_Looks like I've got an audience,_ Blizzard thought with a smirk before he barked at Chopper, once more.

"Huh?" Chopper muttered. "You want me to help you tell the story?"

Blizzard nodded.

"Uh…okay!" Chopper said. "I'd love to!"

"So, what's the story called?" asked Luffy.

Blizzard started to talk in his own dog language with Chopper translating every word.

"This story is called 'The Wolf and the Reindeer'," Chopper said.

"The Wolf and the Reindeer?" repeated Usopp.

"Never heard that one, before," said Sanji.

"Once upon a time," said Chopper, still translating Blizzard's words, "there was a white wolf who lived in the mountains and a little reindeer who lived in the meadow. The wolf was very hungry and hadn't eaten in days."

"Boy," Luffy said, rubbing his tummy. "I know how he feels."

"The wolf had been watching the little reindeer for a while, and had decided that he would make a perfect meal for him," Chopper continued, "for the reindeer was small and seemed helpless."

"Did he eat him?" asked Usopp.

Blizzard growled at the sniper.

"Who's telling the story? Me or you?" Chopper translated, questioningly.

Usopp pursed his lips and narrowed his eyes at that question.

"As I was saying," Chopper said, still translating for Blizzard. "The wolf made his way down from the mountain and toward the meadow. Once he did, he said, 'Hello, little reindeer. Won't you come with me and play?'"

Everyone watched with interest.

"At first, the little reindeer seemed hesitant," Chopper kept translating Blizzard's speech, "but he decided to go with the wolf, who, unbeknownst to him, was going to take him far away from the meadow and deep into the forest, where he would kill and eat him and no one would see."

"Did he?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah, what happened?" Nami asked.

"Well, as they walked," Chopper continued, "the reindeer began to talk with the wolf, who started to find comfort in his voice, and once they reached the heart of the forest, where the wolf intended to kill him…he realized he couldn't. The reindeer was so cute and kind and innocent, and the wolf could not bring himself to do something so cruel as to take his life just to sustain his own."

"What did the wolf do?" Zoro asked.

"The wolf told the reindeer why he brought him to the forest," Chopper said. "At first, he was shocked to learn the truth, but he was happy that he told him. The wolf decided that instead of eating him, he would protect the reindeer as his friend. However, not everyone liked hearing this news. The reindeer's herd was ashamed to learn that one of their own had become friends with the likes who would kill reindeer for food, and the wolf's pack as disgusted with him for befriending their prey."

"So what did they do?" Brook inquired.

"They ran away together," Chopper replied, still translating Blizzard's story, "and hoped that someday, they would find a place where they could live peacefully without ridicule. However, the wolf's pack was going to hunt them down and kill them both."

"But why?" Luffy asked. "Why would the wolves hunt them both?"

"They wanted kill the wolf because they believed he had become a traitor to his kind," Chopper continued. "As for the reindeer, they wanted to kill him just to eat him. The two friends ran away for days, and while the reindeer fed off the plentiful vegetation that was around, the wolf was beginning to show signs of starvation. He began to think about eating the reindeer, again, but he decided that he would rather starve to death than eat his only friend."

Sanji was speechless. He knew what it was like to starve, and that wolf was so loyal to his friend, that he'd be willing to starve himself to the point where he'd be close to death? That was some wolf.

"So…what happened?" the cook asked.

"The wolf and the reindeer were stuck on a mountain's peak," Chopper replied. At this point, Blizzard wasn't even saying anything. "They were forced to take shelter inside a small den, but the wolf was so hungry, that he didn't seem to have the strength to go on. The reindeer offered him only one choice: to have the wolf eat him and keep going without him, but the wolf continued to refuse, for he could never bring himself to eat his friend. However, before they could continue to argue about it, further, the wolf's pack had found them."

"Did they fight?" asked Luffy. "Did the wolf die?!"

"Luffy!" Nami said.

"What?" Luffy asked. "I'm just asking!"

"The wolf decided to sacrifice himself to the pack in order for the reindeer to escape," Chopper said, "so he fought off the wolves as best as he could. However, the wolf was so hungry after not eating for so many days. In the end, he was very weak from starvation."

"What happened to him?" Nami asked.

"The next morning, the reindeer's friend was nowhere to be found," Chopper continued. "All the other wolves had died in the cold night. The reindeer went on, searching for his friend, but he never found him. Just when he felt like he should give up searching, he finally found him, again, on a sunny spring day. The reindeer was so happy to have found him again, and the wolf felt the same. And so, the two lived together in the forest, and not anyone questioned their bond anymore. As for the wolf, who had not eaten in so long, he decided that instead of eating the other animals that lived in the forest, he would eat the fish that lived in the river. And the wolf and the reindeer lived happily. The end."

When Chopper was finished telling the story, he soon saw, to his surprise, that everyone had fallen asleep. Luffy was snoring away, one arm draped around Nami, and Robin was quietly snoozing as she leaned on Zoro's shoulder, and the little reindeer noticed a slight blush on the swordsman's face, which he smiled at. Then, he turned to face Blizzard, who gave him a smile, which he returned.

"Blizzard," said Chopper. "That story…it was really about you and me, wasn't it?"

Blizzard gave Chopper a nod.

"I had a hunch," Chopper said, when suddenly, he let out a yawn.

Blizzard smiled before he gently clamped his teeth on the back of Chopper's shirt before he gently pulled him into his bed and laid him against his side. Chopper let out another yawn and pulled Blizzard's tail over himself, like a furry white blanket.

"Blizzard?" Chopper asked before he could fully cast into slumber.

Blizzard looked at him with one sleepy eye.

"Thanks for the story," said Chopper.

**Slurp!** Blizzard gave Chopper a small lick on the cheek before he and the little reindeer fell asleep…together.

**THE END…**

* * *

In case you're wondering, yes, this was actually inspired by Arashi no Yoru Ni (One Stormy Night). XD

Review, please!


	7. Blame It on the Rain

One Piece: Blame it on the Rain

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

* * *

Summary- While Nami goes shopping, she tells Luffy to stay and wait for him, no matter what. Is the captain willing to keep his word, even whilst he sits in the middle of a rainstorm? Luffy/Nami, pre-time-skip, post-Thriller Bark arc.

* * *

"Okay, guys! I'm off!"

"Are you sure you don't want me to come with you, Nami, my dear?"

"Yes, Sanji (heaven forbid). I'm sure."

The Straw Hats had docked at another island, today, and when Nami heard about a sale that had been going on at a boutique, she just HAD to go. She gathered up whatever money she could get, as well as one of her new purses, and prepared to disembark from the _Sunny_. However, she also took an umbrella with her.

"It's going to rain, later today," Nami said. "Make sure that everyone gets inside and stays there until it stops. It's gonna get really wet out here."

"Of course, Nami!" said Sanji.

"Hey, Nami!"

Nami looked over and saw Luffy approaching her.

"Nami, can I come, too?" Luffy asked.

"No, Luffy," Nami answered. "This is more of a girl's thing."

"Oh," Luffy said, sounding disappointed.

"Oh, don't worry, Luffy, honey," said Nami. "I'll be back. I promise. Until then, I want you stay here and wait for me, okay?"

"Okay, Nami," said Luffy. "I promise."

"And I might bring you back a treat," said Nami before she pet her boyfriend on the head, affectionately. "You'd like that, huh?"

"Yeah!" Luffy answered, excitedly.

If Nami did decide to bring him back something, he really hoped it would be some yummy meat!

"Bye-bye, Luffy!" Nami called as she left.

And so, Luffy sat on the railing, waving after Nami until she was far out of his sight, and even then, he still sat there, waiting for his girlfriend to return. He kicked his legs back and forth, and then whistled a tune (rather badly). Before he knew it, he was getting bored, already.

Suddenly, **RRMMMMMBB!** There was a loud rumbling sound. Luffy looked down, at first believing that it was his tummy, but then he looked up at the sky and saw gray clouds starting to form, and the rumbling he heard was the thunder.

"Hey!" Sanji called. "Luffy! Hurry and come inside! It's gonna be pouring down raining, soon!"

Luffy didn't seem to hear him.

"Luffy!" Sanji barked. "Come on, you idiot! What are you waiting for?! You should be inside like the rest of us!"

Luffy still didn't move.

Sanji sighed.

"Fine!" he yelled. "If you wanna stay out there and get soaked to the bone, be my guest!"

With that, the cook slammed the door to the kitchen behind him, leaving Luffy to sit on the railing, just as the rain started to come down. At first, it started to come down in tiny droplets, but then, it came down on him, harder and faster, and then, it became a huge downpour, but still, Luffy sat in the middle of it.

"I promised Nami I'd wait for her," said Luffy.

XXX

The rain continued to pour down, soaking everything beneath. While everyone else was inside, warm and dry, Luffy still stayed outside, sitting on the rail, cold and wet. Not to mention hungry. This time, the rumbling of thunder was accompanied by the ones emanating from his belly. Luffy just realized that he had missed lunch, today. Sanji was making pan fried chicken dumplings with some special sauce to dip them in.

Still, Nami said that she might bring him back a treat, so if he couldn't eat the dumplings, he could always have that to look forward to. When Nami says that she might bring Luffy something, she usually did make good of her promises.

XXX

Robin came outside later that afternoon with an umbrella in hand. Actually, two umbrellas. She approached the railing where she found her captain, clothes completely drenched to the point where they stuck to his skin. The rims of his precious hat and his jet black hair drooped with the heavy rainfall. He was visibly shivering, and Robin noticed that his cheeks had flushed a bright red.

"Luffy," the historian called to him. "I brought you an umbrella."

"Thanks," Luffy said. "Just leave it right there."

Robin nodded and left the folded umbrella beside Luffy.

"Ah…ah…**ACHOO!**" the captain sneezed, a small drop of mucus forming from one of his nostrils which he unsuccessfully tried to sniff back up.

"Luffy," Robin said. "The others are getting worried. You should come inside. You're catching a cold."

"I can't," Luffy answered. "I…I promised Nami…I'd wait."

Robin sighed.

"I see," she muttered. "Well, in that case, Luffy, you can keep waiting. I just hope you don't die of hypothermia, first."

Blizzard, who had been watching from the safety of the men's quarters through the doggie door, whimpered not just at the morbid comment from Robin, but also out of worry for Luffy. He understood that Luffy was loyal to Nami, but he just wished he didn't have to go this far for her.

_Seriously, Luffy,_ Blizzard thought. _I don't know whether to admire you for this or feel worried for you._

XXX

10 o'clock at night.

At last, the rain had stopped.

The _Sunny's_ lawn deck was dampened from the downpour and sparkling from the raindrops reflecting the light of the moon.

**Drip…drip…drip…**

The raindrops fell from Nami's tangerine grove…and off of Luffy's hat.

He was still waiting. He had missed lunch, missed snack time, dinner, and dessert, was soaking wet to the bone, and he felt just plain miserable…but even still, he sat there on the railing…waiting for Nami to appear.

At this point, Luffy started to worry about her.

Why hasn't she shown up, yet? She's been gone since after breakfast.

What if she got lost? What if she ran into the Marines or mean pirates? Or worse…what if she met another guy and decided to Luffy for him?!

Luffy, who had not made one move since Nami had left, was about to go out into town to see if he could find her, but then, he soon found that there was no need to…because he finally saw her appear around the corner of a building and approach the _Sunny_, her arms full of shopping bags. However, as she neared the ship, she soon spotted her shivering boyfriend, sitting on the railing.

"Luffy!" Nami cried as she set the bags down on the ground and ran up to him.

Luffy weakly smiled at Nami and simply uttered, in a stuffed-up voice, "You're back. I missed you."

"L-Luffy, I missed you, too, but…but…" the navigator stammered as she looked her captain over, "…what are you doing out here? Have you been out in the rain, this whole time?!"

Luffy nodded.

"But why?!" Nami asked.

"You told me to wait for you, right here, so I did," Luffy answered.

Nami gasped, silently, and mentally hit herself for not being more specific to Luffy, for she had forgotten that when someone says one thing to the simple-minded, he takes it another way.

Luffy thought that when told him to wait here, she meant for him to stay and wait outside in the rain.

"Oh, Luffy, baby," Nami said as she hugged the captain, not caring about his soaked clothes. "I'm so sorry. When I said wait right here, I didn't mean right on this very spot! Now you're all wet and cold because of me!"

"And I'm hungry, too," Luffy said. "I didn't lunch, or snack, or dinner, or dessert. That reminds me…Nami, you brought me my treat, didn't you?"

Nami smiled.

"Yes, Luffy," she replied. "I did, like I said. It's a nice big piece of Sea King meat. It did cost a lot, but it was for you."

"Thanks, Nami," Luffy said. "Ah…ah…**ACHOO!**"

"Did you catch a cold out here, too?" Nami asked, although she found that it was obvious due to Luffy's flushed cheeks, but Luffy nodded anyway. "Okay, come on. Let's go and see if Chopper's awake."

Luffy nodded in agreement before he followed Nami away to the sick bay.

"Hey, Luffy?" Nami called to him.

"Hmm?" Luffy hummed in reply.

"Thanks for…waiting for me, even in the rain," Nami said.

Luffy gave Nami his signature grin and chuckle.

"But next time, when I tell you to wait," Nami began, "I'll try and be more specific as to where to wait."

"Okay," Luffy said.

**Smooch!** She gave her captain a small peck on the lips, which he returned, only he made it longer and deeper, and then pulled away.

Nami smiled. She must be very lucky if her boyfriend was willing to wait for her to come back from a shopping trip in the middle of the pouring rain. She didn't think she would ever another man like Luffy.

"Hey, Nami?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah?"

"If I go somewhere, and it's raining…would you wait outside for me?"

Nami giggled.

"Yes, Luffy," she answered him. "I would."

**THE END**

* * *

Sorry if it's too short. This is the best I could come up with.

Review, please!


	8. What Would I Do Without You

One Piece: What Would I Do Without You?

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

* * *

Summary- Luffy's been acting very different, lately. He won't eat as much as he usually does, he can't sleep, and all he ever does is lie in bed, all day. Nami knows her captain is depressed, and when no one else seems to help, she decides to take matters into her own hands. Post-time-skip, Luffy/Nami. OOC.

* * *

Another day on the _Thousand Sunny_…but it was very unusual. Not like the 'usual unusual'. Just…odd, even for the Straw Hat Pirates.

"Luffy?"

**KNOCK! KNOCK!** Tony-Tony Chopper rapped his hoof against the door of the men's quarters.

"Luffy, it's Chopper!" the little reindeer called. "Are you awake?"

A pause, but then, the door opened revealing a rather groggy and grouchy-looking Monkey D. Luffy behind it.

"What?" asked Luffy, bluntly.

"Um…I came to tell you it's time for breakfast," Chopper said.

"I'm not hungry," Luffy said.

"Oh," Chopper said. "O-okay. Well…do you wanna go fishing later?"

"No," Luffy answered.

"Okay," Chopper said. "Well…would you like to maybe-"

"Chopper, I don't wanna do anything, today," Luffy said, almost snapping. "I just…I just wanna stay in bed."

"But Luffy," Chopper started, "you've been in bed all day, yesterday, and the day before yesterday, and the day before that."

"Chopper…I just don't want to do anything," Luffy said. "I just wanna stay in here, in bed…alone."

With that, Luffy closed the door, turned around, and then flopped into his bed, heaving a sigh.

Chopper, on the other hand, was very worried. This is the fifth time that this has happened. Lately, Luffy had been feeling…unmotivated, so to speak. He wouldn't come to eat his meals, and whenever he did eat, he'd only eat about a few bites (sometimes, he just wouldn't eat at all) before he would get up, excuse himself from the table, and then walk back to the men's quarters and lie in bed, which he had been doing most of the day. However, Chopper noticed that Luffy had dark circles underneath his eyes, implying that he was also lacking sleep, too.

"How'd it go, Chopper?"

Chopper turned and saw Nami approaching him.

"He still won't come out," Chopper replied with a heavy sigh.

Nami looked at the door and scowled.

**BANG! BANG! BANG!** She gave a few hard knocks to the door with her fist.

"Monkey D. Luffy!" she called in a stern voice. "You get your ass out of that room, right now, and come and eat your breakfast! It's getting cold, and you know how Sanji gets pissed about that!"

"Tell him I'll eat it, later!"

Nami groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose, but then she turned and walked back to the kitchen. Chopper followed after her.

"Nami…I'm worried about Luffy," the little reindeer said.

"I'm worried about him, too, Chopper," Nami said. "I kinda miss his old goofy, idiot, gluttonous self."

"I think they that maybe I should give him a check-up," Chopper inquired. "I've noticed that even though he's in bed, he hasn't been sleeping. Maybe that's why he's been acting all groggy and lying in bed, most of the day. Because he's trying to get some rest."

_Why do I have this feeling that that's not the case?_ Nami asked herself, mentally.

"Nami, what do you think might be wrong?" Chopper asked.

"I don't know, Chopper," Nami replied, "but…I just hope that Luffy will go back to his old self, soon."

"Of course he will!" said Chopper. "I'm sure that by the end of the day, he'll be his hungry, goofy old self, again!"

"Chopper…I hope so," Nami said, solemnly.

Chopper smiled and held Nami's hand in his hoof.

"It's gonna be okay," he said. "I know it is."

Nami smiled back, but this one was small and…rather fake.

Why was Luffy acting this way?

XXX

That evening, everyone had gathered into the Aquarium Bar for dinner. Even Luffy, who had not left the men's quarters since this morning.

"Tonight, we are having scorpion fish and octopus bouillabaisse," Sanji announced as he served everyone their bowls of stew. "Enjoy."

"Thanks," everyone said.

Everyone except for Luffy, who was just stirring his stew rather than eating it.

"Luffy," Sanji said. "How many times do I have to keep telling you to stop playing around with your food and eat it, already?"

"I'm gonna eat it, all right?" Luffy asked, grumpily.

"When? Next year?" asked Sanji, sarcastically. "Jeez, and I thought that moss-head was bitchy."

"Who're you calling 'bitchy'?" asked Zoro.

"No one's talking to you, Zoro," Luffy said. "Stay out of it."

"What did you say?" Zoro questioned, almost getting out of his seat.

"You heard what I said!" Luffy said.

"Luffy, no fighting!" Nami exclaimed.

"You stay outta this!" Luffy snapped.

Everyone gasped in surprised. Luffy rarely ever snapped at Nami like that, before.

"Don't you dare snap at Nami like that!" Sanji growled.

"You know what, Sanji?!" Luffy asked. "Why don't you just get the hell off my case?! I wasn't even hungry, anyway!"

"In that case, maybe you don't get to eat!" Sanji snapped.

"Well, maybe that's a good thing!" Luffy shouted as he got up and stormed out, nearly stepping on Blizzard's tail as he did. "I'm going back to bed!"

"Luffy, wait!" Nami called.

**SLAM!** Luffy slammed the door behind him.

Nami almost went after him, but was stopped when Usopp grabbed her by her shoulder.

"Nami, maybe you should let Luffy go," Usopp said.

"No!" Nami answered as she jerked her shoulder away from the sniper and ran out after Luffy.

"Uh…okay, this is probably bad timing," Chopper said, who had not said a thing because he had been scared by Luffy's sudden burst of anger, "but…can someone pass the salt, please?"

Everyone turned their gaze to the little reindeer.

"What?" asked Chopper.

XXX

Luffy was outside on the deck, on his way to the men's quarters, grumbling to himself, when Nami walked up beside him.

"Luffy!" she called to him. "What's wrong with you? Why are you acting this way?!"

"Nami, just leave me alone, okay?" Luffy asked. "I'm just…I'm just tired! I haven't been getting much sleep, lately, that's all. Why do you think I've been in bed all this time?"

"But that's the problem, Luffy," Nami said. "Maybe you're spending too much time in bed. Maybe that's why you're tired!"

Luffy was silent.

"Luffy…" Nami said. "It's not just you not getting any sleep, at night. There's something else going on with you, isn't there?"

Luffy looked away from Nami, who's eyes went wide in realization.

"That's it, isn't it?" Nami asked. "There's something else wrong, but you don't wanna tell anyone!"

"I don't wanna tell anyone because there's nothing wrong," Luffy said. However, he had on his worst poker face, so Nami knew he was lying.

"Luffy," she said. "If there's something wrong, and you feel like you can't tell the others, then you can tell me, because I wanna help you."

"Nami," Luffy said, "I…I love you and all, I really do, but…I don't want your help because I don't need it, and I don't need your help because there's nothing wrong!"

"Luffy, first of all," Nami began, "do NOT raise your voice, because I'm not yelling at you. Second, you know there's something wrong with you, but you're just too damn proud to admit it. Can't you just open up and tell me what the problem is?"

Luffy sighed.

"You won't understand," Luffy said as he went into the men's quarters and closed the door.

Nami just stared at the door until she turned and walked away.

"Maybe this is just some stupid, childish phase he's going through," she thought aloud. "Maybe tomorrow, he'll start to go back to his old idiot self, again…oh, who am I kidding? After all this time, even I don't believe myself, anymore!"

XXX

For the following days, Luffy continued his odd behavior of lying in bed but not sleeping, not eating, and even snapping at everyone, even Blizzard and Nami!

Everyone else was getting very annoyed by Luffy's change in demeanor…not to mention worried.

Nami kept trying to convince herself that her captain would return to normal, one day after another, but she continued to doubt her own words even more.

Soon, the days turned into a week-and-a-half, and that's when things really got out of hand.

XXX

Nami walked by the men's quarters, and couldn't help but notice that the door was open. Upon looking inside, though, she saw Zoro, as well as the rest of the boys, standing in front of Luffy.

"What do you mean we can't come in here, anymore?" asked the swordsman.

"You heard what I said!" Luffy exclaimed. "This room is now off limits to everyone but the captain!"

"You can't do that!" Usopp said. "This is our room, too!"

"Not anymore," Luffy answered. "From now on, this room is mine!"

Nami stood at the doorframe and watched the scene unfold before her. At that moment, Robin joined her, and she, too, was surprised.

"Straw Hat, what's with you?" asked Franky. "I mean…you've been acting like a SUPER jackass, recently!"

"I agree!" Brook added. "This is not the Mister Luffy I first joined up with!"

"What's gotten into you?!" asked Sanji.

"What's gotten into me?" Luffy repeated. "What's gotten into _me_?!"

"Yeah, what's wrong with you, Luffy?!" Chopper asked, shivering. "Y-you're scaring us! …mostly me."

"In that case, why don't you get out?!" Luffy asked. "In fact, all of you get out!"

"But Luffy-" Usopp began.

"I said GET OUT!" Luffy shouted before he shoved the boys out the room. "ALL OF YOU, GET OUT AND STAY OUT!" he put his hand on the door. "I JUST WANT TO BE LEFT ALONE!"

"You can't just kick us out!" Zoro shouted.

"I can…and I just did," Luffy hissed.

**WHAM!** He slammed the door.

Nami watched with wide, shocked eyes.

"I can't believe Luffy kicked us out of the men's quarters," Usopp said.

"It's almost like he's trying to…push us away," Robin mused.

Just then, Nami let out a gasp.

"Oh, my gosh," she said. "I know what's wrong with him!"

Everyone turned to look at the navigator.

"Luffy's depressed!" she said.

The Straw Hats dropped their jaws. Well, except for Robin. She just parted her lips in surprise.

"Depressed?" Usopp repeated, questioningly. "Luffy?! Depressed?!"

"Well, think about it!" Nami said. "It all adds up! He lies in bed all day, but can't sleep, He won't eat as much as he used to, he has these weird mood swings, and he's saying he's secluding himself away from us! Those are clear signs of depression!"

"How do you know?" Franky asked.

"Because I went through it when Arlong took over my village," Nami replied. "Now that I know what's wrong with him, all we have to do is find out is find what's making him so depressed in the first place!"

"Uh, I'm sorry, but…'we'?" Zoro asked.

"Yes, 'we'," Nami replied.

"Uh, Nami," said Sanji, "with all due respect, for once…I think I might pass on this."

Nami glared at everyone.

"You're not gonna help Luffy?" she asked.

"Sorry, Nami," Chopper said, "but…Luffy's really scary, now."

_Not to mention he's turned into a first-class asshole,_ Blizzard thought.

"I can't believe what I'm hearing!" Nami remarked. "Luffy's your captain!"

"Well, now he's a jerk," Zoro replied.

"And besides, Nami," Usopp added, "even if we wanted to help Luffy, you know he won't let us because he's too damn stubborn! So what can you do?!"

"…I can try," Nami said, "and no matter how times he tries to push me away, I won't give up on him…because he didn't give up on me…or any of you."

Everyone looked down at the deck, seemingly ashamed.

"If you guys won't help him, then I will," Nami said before she pushed passed the rest of the crew and opened the door to "Luffy's" room, and sure enough, there he was, lying in bed, again.

"Luffy," she called in a soft but angry tone.

Luffy looked over his shoulder and glared at Nami.

"Get out, Nami," he said. "This is my room, now."

Nami sneered at Luffy and slammed the door behind her, but not very hard, and stomped over to her captain.

"Listen, you," she said. "I am getting sick and tired of the way you've been acting! What happened to the Luffy that used to love eating and hanging out with his crew and going on adventures?! This Luffy I'm looking at, right now, is not the Luffy I fell in love with!"

"Well, you know what?!" Luffy asked as he sat up in bed. "If you don't like it, then you can leave! In fact, why don't you all leave?!" He lied back down on the bed, but then…he started sniffling and he squinted his eyes shut, almost as if he was trying to hold back tears. "You're all gonna leave, eventually…" he muttered.

"What?" Nami asked. "Luffy, what are you talking about?!"

"Just forget it, Nami," he said. "You just won't understand. Nobody will."

"Luffy, I will understand," Nami said, "but only if you tell me!"

Luffy just lied there in silence, and Nami sighed.

"Luffy, listen to me," Nami said. "I love you with my heart and soul, but…I also feel hurt because I'm starting to feel like you don't trust me enough to tell me that there's something wrong!"

"But-" Luffy started.

"And don't tell me that there's nothing wrong, because there is!" Nami snapped. "Luffy…you're suffering from depression. I know it's hard to believe, but you really are."

Luffy didn't speak.

"Luffy…" Nami said, almost sounding close to tears. "I know that there's something bothering you, and you know it, too, and I will help…but I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong…!" She sniffled and choked back a sob. "Luffy…please, tell me what's bothering you. Please?"

A pause, but then, Luffy heaved a heavy sigh.

"Sit down," he said.

Nami gasped silently.

"You mean…?" she asked.

"Yeah," Luffy said. "I'll tell you."

Nami smiled softly and pulled Luffy into a hug, and the captain but smile a bit at the sign of affection.

Luffy sat up in the bed, heaving another sigh. Nami sat beside him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Well…this actually started happening a month ago," Luffy said.

"It did?!" Nami asked in surprise.

"Yeah," Luffy said. "Of course…it wasn't this bad, back then. Nami…remember when…" he put his hand to the scar on his chest. "…well, you know. When Ace…?"

Nami felt her heart sink and nodded.

"Well…I thought I was over it after those two years," Luffy said, "but then…it had me thinking about something. Something bad."

"Like what?" asked Nami.

"Nami…when Ace died," Luffy began, "I felt…so sad and scared…and alone. I've always hated being alone because, to me…being alone is worse than any kind of pain in the world."

"Luffy…" Nami muttered.

"And then…that's when things really started to get bad," Luffy said. "Nami…we all have our own dreams, right?"

"Right," Nami answered.

"So…" Luffy began, sounding close to tears, once more, but this time failing to stop them from forming. "…what's gonna happen to us after we've accomplished what we set out to do?"

"Luffy…" Nami began, her eyes also begin to tear up, "are you saying that…you think that we're gonna leave you?"

"When I was little," Luffy said, his tears spilling from his eyes, "Shanks told me that when pirates have finished all their adventures, they go their separate ways. I'm starting to think that…" he sniffled. "…maybe…if it means I'm gonna lose my crew…I should give up looking for the One Piece and becoming King of the Pirates, all together!"

Nami's eyes went wide and she gasped while watching Luffy wipe away his tears.

"What's the point of becoming King of the Pirates," Luffy began, "if everyone's probably gonna leave me in the end?!"

"… … …I won't."

Luffy's eyes went wide, and he turned to look at Nami, who smiled at him.

"Luffy," she said. "I promise you, here and now, that from now on…I will never, ever, EVER leave you."

"…really?" asked Luffy.

"Really," Nami answered. "Even after you become King of the Pirates and I finish my map of the world…I'll be by your side…always."

Luffy smiled…a real, genuine smile.

"In that case," he said, "Nami…will you…?"

"Will I what?" Nami repeated.

Luffy took Nami's hand in his own.

"Will you…become my Pirate Queen?" asked Luffy.

Nami's eyes probably went as wide as saucers, and her tears returned at full force. Then, she smiled and pulled Luffy into a tight hug.

"Yes…" she whispered. "Yes, I will."

Luffy flashed his trademark grin and chuckled, and Nami giggled, too, happy that her captain had finally returned to normal.

"Uh, hey, Nami?" he asked.

"Hmm?" Nami asked.

"Could you ask Sanji to make me some meat, please? About…I dunno, maybe about a ton of it or so? I just realized how hungry I am~!"

**GRRUUUUUUUUMMBLE!** Luffy's stomach growled, and Nami laughed.

_He's back to normal, all right!_ she thought.

XXX

Later that day, everyone celebrated Luffy's return to his old self, again. The captain ate so much meat, his stomach was as big as a fully-grown cow and as a round as a beach ball. He also declared that the men's quarter was no longer off limits to the crew, much to the relief of the boys, and apologized for treating his friends so coldly, and they just as easily forgave him…as long as he promised not to do it, again, which he did.

That night, Luffy finally felt tired enough to actually go to sleep for the first time in days, but instead of sleeping in the men's quarters, he decided to go and sleep with Nami in the women's quarters, instead.

As Luffy climbed into bed next to Nami, he let out a big, long yawn, and rested his against the cool, soft pillow. Nami sat up in bed beside him, and gently rubbed his stomach, which caused him to get even sleepier.

"Hey, Nami?" Luffy asked, sleepily.

"Hmm?" Nami hummed.

"When do you think we should tell the others about you and me getting married?" Luffy asked.

Nami chuckled.

"We'll tell them someday, Luffy," Nami said. "Maybe…after you've become King of the Pirates."

Luffy smiled.

"Okay," he said. "Hey, Nami?"

"Yeah?" Nami asked.

"Did you really mean it when you said that you'll never leave me?"

Nami smiled.

"I meant every word," she answered.

Luffy smiled before he sat up in the bed, place his hat on Nami's crown, pulled her into an embrace, and captured her lips in a deep kiss, which the navigator returned. Before long, they pulled away, and Luffy gently touched Nami's forehead with his.

"What would I do without you?" he asked.

Nami's smile grew wider.

"You'd be nowhere," she said.

Luffy chuckled and said, "You got that right."

Then, he yawned, flopped down against the pillow, and began to snore. Nami smiled before she, too, let out a yawn. The tired navigator then laid herself down, embracing her captain and drifting off into slumber, right by his side…as she had promised him.

**THE END**

* * *

I guess some of you didn't see the Luffy/Nami proposal thing, did you? XD

Review, please!


	9. Mistakes

One Piece: Mistakes

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

* * *

Summary- When Usopp accidentally breaks Nami's Clima-Tact and Luffy sees him, the sniper tries to bribe him into covering up for him with candy. However, Luffy feels like both he and Usopp are making a big mistake in trying to hide their lie from Nami, and soon, Usopp begins have a guilty conscience, as well. Meanwhile, Chopper sees Blizzard last night with red stuff all over his mouth and he instantaneously believes that his big brother is a vampire! Post-time-skip. Luffy/Nami.

* * *

Another day on the _Thousand Sunny_. The weather is a bit muggy, today, but at least it was bearable. It was a good 20 minutes after breakfast, and the Straw Hats have decided to take this chance to relax.

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!"

Well, so much for relaxation.

One thing was for certain: when the Straw Hats hear a furious scream coming from the ship's navigator, then there was a good reason to be terrified.

"EVERYBODY!" Nami shouted. "OUT ON DECK, FRONT AND CENTER, **NOW!**"

Soon, the rest of the crew came outside and stood at attention in front of Nami. While Zoro, Sanji, Robin, and Franky seemed unnerved by the navigator's temper, Luffy, Usopp, Chopper, Blizzard, and Brook were shaking out of their skins (well, Brook was just shaking since he was just bones), with Luffy and Usopp seemingly the most nervous out of all of them.

Nami approached the group, holding something behind her back.

"Okay," she said. "Who. The hell. Did it?!"

A pause.

"Who did what, Nami?" asked Luffy, sweating bullets.

"Why, yes, Nami, what has you upset?" asked Usopp, also sweating bullets.

Nami revealed the thing she was hiding behind her back: her Sorcery Clima-Tact…broken in half.

"What is this?" Nami questioned.

"Your Clima-Tact?" Zoro answered, questioningly.

"Wrong!" Nami replied. "It WAS my Clima-Tact, but now it's BROKEN, and I DEMAND to know who did it!"

"Well, Nami," Sanji said, "you have my word that I didn't break the weapon that stands between you and some vagabond's sword."

"Of course you wouldn't, Sanji," Nami said before she looked to Robin. "And I definitely know that you didn't do it, Robin."

Robin smiled and chuckled.

"Thank you, Miss Navigator," she said.

The navigator then looked to Zoro and gave him a glare, which he returned.

"Okay, what?" he questioned.

"You might have good reason to break my Clima-Tact," Nami said.

"Oh, I'm sure," Zoro said, sarcastically. "Look, maybe you broke it yourself so you'd make one of us pay for it!"

"I'd never sabotage my own weapon!" Nami remarked.

"Well, even so, I didn't do it!" Zoro said.

Nami still glared at Zoro before she moved onto Chopper, and almost instantly, her visage went from furious and violent to almost sweet and innocent.

"Chopper~…" she said. "I know you wouldn't break my only means of defending myself…now, would you?"

"N-no, Nami!" Chopper said. "I swear, I'd never break your Clima-Tact! Even if I did, it would be a total accident and I'd apologize right away!"

Nami still gave Chopper that sweet and innocent face before she moved on to Franky, who remained calm, although deep down inside, he was as scared as he-didn't-know-what.

"Hey, don't look at me, sis!" he said. "I swear, I didn't do it!"

Nami narrowed her eyes at the cyborg shipwright before she went on to the next person in line: Brook.

"Brook…did you…?" Nami asked.

"Of course not, Miss Nami!" Brook answered. "I wouldn't think of it! Why in the name of all things pure would I ever do that?!"

"You'd probably wanna use my Gust Sword to blow up a girl's skirt to see her underwear," Nami said, accusingly.

"Rubbish!" Brook rebuked. "I've never even thought of such a thing!"

_Until now, that is,_ he thought. _YOHOHOHOHO!_

Nami sighed before she moved onto Blizzard, who cowered at her presence with his tail tucked between his legs and his ears folded against his head. The navigator looked at the wolf-dog, who shrunk even more when her eyes met his.

_Oh, dear god, please let her spare me!_ Blizzard thought. _I swear, I didn't break it!_

Nami raised her hand, and at first, Blizzard thought that she was about to slap him, but instead, she gave him a simple pet on the head.

"You're in the clear, Blizzard," Nami said. "You're a dog. Even if you did break my Clima-Tact, you wouldn't know what you were doing."

_Thank god,_ Blizzard thought.

That's when Nami came to the next crewmate in line: Usopp, the very man who created the Clima-Tact.

"…nah," Nami said. "There's no way you could've done it, Usopp."

Usopp heaved a sigh of relief.

Last, but not least, the possibly worst liar ever: Luffy, who was sweating at least tenfold. It almost looked like he was about to soil himself.

That was when Nami put on her sweet and innocent face, once again, the moment she approached her boyfriend/fiancé.

"Luffy~," she said in a sweet tone. "My darling captain. My precious treasure! Surely, you didn't break my Clima-Tact…did you?"

**GULP!** Luffy swallowed the lump in his throat.

"Uh…n-no," he said, nervously.

Now, Nami knew that Luffy had been telling the truth, for he wasn't wearing his terrible poker face. It was only a matter of time until she broke him.

"Well, then," Nami said. "If you didn't do it…then maybe you know who did. After all…you wouldn't keep a secret from your girlfriend…would you?"

Luffy's eyes went wide as saucers and he chewed his lip.

"Well?" Nami asked irritably, her sweet and innocent visage beginning to disappear.

"I…I dunno," Luffy answered, stammering and putting on his "poker face".

That's when Nami's patience really started wearing thin.

"Luffy," she said. "If this is your idea of a joke, it's not funny, mister. Now who did it?"

"I…I really have no idea, Nami," Luffy said.

That's when Nami really got mad.

"Monkey D. Luffy," she snarled. "I hope you're not covering up for someone."

Luffy glanced at Usopp, who swiftly shook his head.

"Look me in the eye when I'm speaking to you, mister!" Nami demanded.

"I-I'm not covering up for anybody! I swear I'm not!" Luffy exclaimed.

"Then who did it?!" Nami questioned. "Monkey D. Luffy, you had better tell me who did it, or else, NO MEAT for two weeks!"

"NO MEAT?!" Luffy asked, outraged. "NO, NAMI, PLEASE! I BEG OF YOU, DON'T TAKE AWAY MY MEAT~!"

"THEN TELL ME WHO DID IT!" Nami snapped.

"I…I…DON'T KNOW!" Luffy cried.

A pause.

"Fine," Nami said. "You just lost your meat privileges."

Luffy's face fell with a look of pure dread.

"I may not know who broke my Clima-Tact…for now," Nami began, "but one way or another…I WILL find out, eventually. You're all dismissed, and Sanji, don't give Luffy any meat for the next two weeks."

"Yes, Nami, dearest!" Sanji said.

"Meat…!" Luffy whined.

With that, everyone went back to whatever they were doing before they had been called out onto the deck. Well, most of them did. Luffy and Usopp are the only ones who remained.

"Oh, man, that was close," Usopp said before he turned to Luffy, who is still mourning the loss of his beloved meat. "Hey, Luffy. Thanks for not ratting me out, back there."

Luffy shot Usopp a hateful glare.

"What's with the look?" Usopp asked.

"Because of you, I don't get meat for two weeks!" Luffy complained.

"Oh, get over it," Usopp said. "After all, I'm giving you candy if you keep your mouth shut, right?"

"Oh, yeah," Luffy said. "Where is it, by the way?"

Usopp reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of candy. Gummy worms, salt-water taffy, sourballs, gumdrops, peppermint, chocolate, the like, and all of this had come from the sniper's secret stash of candy loot.

Luffy greedily snatched the candy out of Usopp's, licking his lips and drooling hungrily.

To further explain things, it was indeed Usopp who had broken Nami's Sorcery Clima-Tact by stepping on it, completely on accident, and to make matters worse, Luffy had seen him. He was going to tell Nami about it, but Usopp, who would rather save his own skin than let it get beaten by the navigator, stopped his captain before he could do so. At first, Luffy was going to tell Nami, no matter what Usopp said, but then, the sniper struck a deal with him: if Luffy didn't tell Nami that Usopp had broken her Clima-Tact, then Usopp would give the captain some of his candy stash in return, and all the while, he would be fixing Nami's weapon in secret.

To put it simply, Usopp was bribing Luffy.

Now, this was sure to backfire, for the Straw Hat crew knew that Luffy can barely control his sweet tooth. Whenever he ate something sugary and sweet, especially candy, the captain would always overindulge to the point where he would make himself sick.

"Usopp," Luffy said, still holding his prize. "Maybe this isn't such a good idea."

"You mean me giving you my candy?" Usopp asked. "Yeah, I agree. I've been regretting it ever since I struck that deal with you."

"Not that," Luffy said. "I'm talking about lying to Nami."

"Oh," Usopp said. "Well, that's different."

"Look, I'm just saying," Luffy said. "I don't like having to lie to Nami in order to protect my friends. She's my girlfriend, and the last thing I need is for me to lose her trust."

"Look, Luffy," said Usopp. "You've got nothing to worry about! Once I fix Nami's Clima-Tact, she'll be so happy, she'll forget all about being mad! Heck, before you know it, she'll let you go back to eating meat, again!"

"She will?" Luffy asked.

"Of course!" Usopp said. "Have I ever steered you wrong, before?"

"Uh…" Luffy murmured.

"Don't answer that," Usopp said.

"Okay," Luffy said before he began to eat the candy in his hand. Even the wrappers had been devoured.

Usopp grimaced at the sight before he left to find Nami's Sorcery Clima-Tact and repair it.

XXX

In the sick bay, Tony-Tony Chopper sat at his desk, but he was not making any medicine today. Oh, no. Right now, the little reindeer is far too busy with something else to worry about medicine, for he is nose-deep in a book. Not just any book, though, but a book…on vampires.

Now, normally, such books would frighten the living daylights of little Chopper, but not today. "So why is he reading a book on vampires?" one may ask. Well, it all started last night.

Chopper had woken up in the middle of the night, last night, feeling very thirsty. When he came outside, he saw Blizzard returning to the men's quarters, but something seemed…off. When Chopper saw his canine big brother…he could've sworn that he saw what appeared to be…blood around his mouth and on his tongue, and he had look of satisfaction on his face.

When Chopper saw that, he ran right back to his bed and hid under the covers until this morning, and ever since, the little reindeer had begun to believe that there was only one explanation: Blizzard must be a vampire.

"I know it sounds crazy," Chopper thought aloud to himself, "but…it seems to be the only logical explanation. Still…I can't help but feel that I'm wrong, too. I mean…Blizzard can't really be a vampire, and even if he was, he'd tell me and the others first!"

As the little reindeer continued reading the book, he soon found some interesting facts about vampires.

"Okay," Chopper said. "It says here that a vampire's reflection doesn't appear in a mirror. It also says that vampires do not like going near sunlight because it'll weaken them. The same thing goes with holy water. Also, vampires will be immobilized if you carry garlic, and the only thing that can kill them is a steak through the heart."

Chopper then closed the book, and then…he started to laugh.

"That's impossible!" he said. "Now I know that Blizzard can't be a vampire. He loves being in the sunlight, unless he has a hangover. He was even splashed with holy water as a puppy, once, and he's still alive, today! Plus, the only way his reflection wouldn't appear in a mirror is if his shadow is gone, and he got his shadow back from Moria back on _Thriller Bark_! Although, he doesn't like garlic. Hmm…maybe I better go ask if he really is a vampire, just to be safe."

With that, Chopper headed out of the sick bay and to the men's quarters to find Blizzard.

When he had arrived, though, he found that the room had gone dark and empty. The only who is inside is Blizzard, who is curled up in his bed in the corner.

Chopper felt a bit uneasy, but then he approached Blizzard, who suddenly started to stir. Then, the wolf-dog made a big yawn, and that's when Chopper saw something that really made him quiver: something red stained on his canines. The doctor gasped in horror, but then he began to breathe deeply.

_Relax, Chopper,_ the reindeer thought. _Just because he has red stuff on his teeth doesn't make it blood. Maybe it's-_

Chopper gasped again when he spotted something else.

Blizzard is lying right next to a tall mirror…but his reflection didn't show.

At that moment, Chopper bolted back to the sick bay and sat on the bed, shivering like made.

"He…he had no reflection!" Chopper said. "Blizzard really must be a vampire! But that doesn't explain the fact that he can stay out in the sun." He then gasped. "Maybe he built up an immunity to sunlight, and is staying in the dark to grow stronger, so that he can suck all of our blood, and then turn the rest of us into his minions! Well, I won't let that happen. I swear, with God as my witness, I will not let my vampire of a big brother turn us into his vampire slaves! THIS I SWEAR~!"

**KNOCK-KNOCK!** A knock came to the door.

"Chopper? Who're you talking to, in there?"

"Nobody, Robin!" Chopper answered.

XXX

It's been about 4 hours since Nami had her little fit, and she still didn't know who broke her Clima-Tact. She was still very angry…especially at Luffy, for they had promised that as long as they were in a relationship, there'd be no secrets between them. Of course, Usopp didn't really think much of it.

Speaking of Usopp, down below deck, he sat there, working on his repairs to the Sorcery Clima-Tact. So far, it looked like he had been doing a job, the staff had been his invention ever since the journey to Alabasta. He, out of all, really knew how to fix it, no matter how many changes it went through.

Just then, Luffy appeared.

"Usopp," he called to him.

Usopp looked back and saw Luffy approaching him.

"Oh, Luffy!" he said. "For a minute there, I almost thought that you were Nami. Uh…you didn't tell her, right?"

"No," Luffy answered.

"Oh, good!" Usopp said. "Fantastic. Look, I should have the Clima-Tact repaired by tomorrow. Maybe by tonight, that is if I skip lunch and dinner. Sure, I may end up starving, but the work is worth it if it means saving my hide."

"Usopp, listen," Luffy said. "I-"

"You're looking for more candy, right?" Usopp asked. "I got it right here."

Once again, Usopp had given Luffy a handful of candy.

"Um…Usopp, that's not what I meant," Luffy said. "I…I've been thinking."

"Oh, that's a troubling sign," Usopp said, worried, and why not? Luffy was THINKING.

"Maybe we should just confess to Nami and throw ourselves on her mercy," said Luffy. "Well…whatever mercy she has, that is, and then maybe things won't go so bad for us, you know?"

"Hmm," Usopp hummed. "Well, I could do that…or-"

"Usopp," Luffy began, but the sniper had cut him off.

"Ah-ah! Hear me out, first!" Usopp said. "We continue to lie to Nami, thus avoiding getting into even more trouble, altogether."

"There's that, too," Luffy said. "I just wish that I didn't have to feel so guilty about doing it, is all."

"Maybe you just need more candy," Usopp said. "Aside from meat, that always helps, right?

"I've been wanting to talk to you about that, too," Luffy said. "I think all that candy's starting to upset my tummy, a little." He rubbed his stomach for emphasis.

"Come on, Luffy," Usopp said. "Please, just do this for me! I'm your friend! You don't wanna see your friend getting pummeled, do you?"

"Well, no, but-" Luffy started, but Usopp cut him off, once again.

"Then keep your mouth shut!" he snapped. "I'm sorry, Luffy, but I just don't wanna get my ass handed to me on a silver platter! Now can you please, just do this for me?"

A pause.

"Great!" Usopp said. "See? I can be reasonable! Thanks!"

"You know something, Usopp?" Luffy asked. "You may be a good liar…but you're not being a very good friend to Nami if you're just keeping a secret, like this. Sooner or later…you're gonna start regretting this, and you're gonna have to tell her the truth, eventually."

With that, Luffy left, leaving Usopp to consider to think about what his captain had said.

"Nah," he muttered. "I'm sure that sooner or later, Nami's gonna forget all about this."

**KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!**

"Usopp? Are you in there?"

Usopp gasped.

"Oh, crap, it's Nami…!" he whispered before he hurried to hide the Clima-Tact. "Just a minute! Be right with you!"

Usopp hid the staff underneath a piece of tarp before he ran to answer the door, revealing Nami behind it.

"Hey, Nami!" Usopp said. "Can I help you?"

"Usopp, I've been wondering," Nami began, "you think you could…fix my Clima-Tact for me?"

Usopp's jaw dropped.

_Are you kidding me?!_ he thought.

"Is everything okay?" Nami asked.

"Huh? Oh!" Usopp said. "O-of course! Everything's fine! Why wouldn't it be?"

"Okay…" Nami murmured. "A-anyway, Usopp, I'm only asking because you're the only one who knows to fix my weapon! After all, you made it!"

"O…of course, Nami!" Usopp said. "I'd be more than happy to fix it for you!"

"Thanks, Usopp," Nami said. "I knew I could count on you, unlike a certain captain I know."

"Uh, Nami?" Usopp asked. "Is there something going on between you two?"

"Sorry," Nami said. "I don't mean to worry you, it's just…I thought I could trust Luffy, you know? I just hate that he won't tell me who broke it in the first place! When Luffy and I started dating two years ago, we agreed that there'd be no secrets between us! Maybe I made a wrong choice," Nami said. "Maybe Luffy…isn't the right man for me, after all. I dunno."

Usopp felt his heart sink.

"Oh, come on, Nami," said Usopp. "D-don't be like that! Sure, Luffy makes mistakes, but there's no need to think that you might have to break up with him!"

"Whoa, whoa!" Nami exclaimed. "No one said anything about that! I guess I'm so upset at him, I don't even know what I'm saying, anymore. Anyway, I better get outta you're hair. Oh! And one more thing! You're gonna have to find the Clima-Tact on your own. I think I misplaced it." She laughed nervously.

With that being said, Nami left.

Usopp sighed and put a hand to his forehead, as if in exasperation. Now he knew what Luffy meant when he said that he'd end up regretting this.

He needed to clear his head, and there was only person he could think of.

XXX

Usopp entered the men's quarters to find Luffy, lying in his bunk.

"Uh, Luffy?" Usopp called to his captain. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Luffy craned his head to look at the sniper, and for some reason, his face looked a bit green. Usopp didn't seem to notice, though.

"Uh, hey, Luffy," Usopp said. "Listen, remember when you said that I'd end up regretting this? Well…you were right. Nami just asked me to fix the Clima-Tact for her, and she didn't even know I'm fixing it for her!"

"Really?" Luffy asked in voice that sounded rather sickly.

"Yeah," Usopp answered, "and…it sounds like she's really mad at you for not telling her. Luffy, I didn't realize how much I was putting at risk, until now! How am I ever gonna look Nami in the eye, again, after just realizing this?!" He turned to Luffy. "I CAN'T, that's how!"

He then realized something: Luffy acted like he had not heard a single word Usopp had said.

"Uh, Luffy?" Usopp asked. "Are you okay? You're not looking so good."

Luffy moaned and clutched his stomach.

"Oh, no," Usopp muttered in horror. "Luffy, don't tell me you're getting a stomachache, already!"

"I think all that candy finally caught up to me," Luffy said. "My tummy REALLY hurts~!"

"Oh, man, not now!" Usopp said. "Of all the times, why now?!"

"I'm sorry, Usopp," Luffy said, "but you know what candy does to me. Ugh…!"

"Dammit," cursed Usopp. "It's gonna be lunchtime soon, and if you're too sick to eat, Nami's bound to notice! What am I gonna do?!"

Luffy groaned in pain, once again.

XXX

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Chopper is dialing in the code to unlocking the fridge. Sanji gave the little reindeer permission to use the code, but only if he didn't tell Luffy.

Ever since this morning, Chopper seemed to be using great lengths to try and avoid Blizzard, much to the wolf-dog's confusion. It seemed that the reindeer is still convinced that his big brother is a vampire.

"Got it," Chopper said once he heard the beep. He opened the fridge door and pulled out a raw beef steak. "Now I can save the others. Hopefully, Blizzard hasn't bitten anyone and tried to suck out their blood, yet."

"_Chopper?"_

Chopper yelped and whipped around to see Blizzard standing behind him.

"_What are you doing, little buddy?"_ he asked him. _"You're not trying to sneak food, are you? Lunch is in an hour. What are you doing with that steak?"_

Chopper stared at the steak in his hooves, and then back at Blizzard.

_Well…this is it, then!_ Chopper thought. _I've only got one shot at this!_

"DIE, YOU SPAWN OF THE DEVIL!" the reindeer shouted.

Blizzard's mouth went agape with shock when he heard his little brother say those words, but his shock momentarily disappeared when he saw a screaming Chopper come running towards him with the steak in his hands.

**SWAKK!** He smacked the steak against Blizzard's chest…but nothing happened.

"Huh?" Chopper muttered. "Hey! What's going on? Why isn't it working?!"

"_Okay, Chopper,"_ Blizzard said. _"This is getting weird. You've been acting you've been trying to avoid me, like I'm gonna eat you or something! Why did you slap a raw steak against my chest?!"_

"The book said that a steak to the heart is supposed to kill a vampire!" Chopper said.

"_Chopper, that's a WOODEN STAKE,"_ Blizzard corrected. _"You don't use a raw beef steak to kill- wait…you think I'm a vampire?"_

"Think?!" Chopper repeated. "I KNOW you are!"

"_WHAT?!"_ Blizzard questioned. _"Chopper, that's just downright absurd!"_

"Oh, yeah?" Chopper asked. "Well, then how do you explain the fact that your reflection didn't appear in a mirror and that blood you had on your mouth last night?!"

Blizzard stared at Chopper, but then he heaved a sigh. Then, without warning, **WHAP!** He grabbed Chopper by the arm with his paw.

"H-hey, wait a minute!" Chopper said in slight panic, struggling to get free. "What are you doing?! Let go! Don't suck my blood!"

"_Chopper! Relax!"_ Blizzard shouted.

Chopper stood completely still.

"_Now, listen to me,"_ Blizzard said. _"I want you to do this one thing for me. Just this ONE THING. Okay?"_

Chopper nodded, hesitantly.

"_I want you…to smell my breath,"_ Blizzard told him.

"Smell your breath?!" Chopper repeated.

"_Just do it, okay?!"_ Blizzard asked, sternly.

"O-okay! Okay!" Chopper said. "I'll smell your breath."

Blizzard took in a deep breath, and then blew into Chopper's face. Chopper's nose twitched, and he gasped as his eyes went wide in realization.

"It's…it's ketchup!" he said.

"_Remember? Sanji made hotdogs last night for dinner,"_ Blizzard said. _"I woke up in the middle of the night feeling peckish, so I went to have a midnight snack, and I had hotdogs with lots of ketchup. I guess some of it got on my fur and stained my teeth."_

"Oh~!" Chopper said. "But, wait…what about the mirror you were sleeping next to in the men's quarters."

"_Chopper, did you think that maybe since I was lying down, my reflection didn't show?"_ Blizzard inquired.

"Oh, yeah!" Chopper said. "So I guess you're not really a vampire, after all!"

Blizzard smiled.

"Blizzard, I'm so sorry," Chopper said. "I should've asked first, instead of jumping to conclusions. You forgive me, don't you?"

"_Oh, Chopper, of course I forgive you,"_ Blizzard said. _"Everyone makes mistakes, once in a while, we just have to learn from them, is all."_

Chopper approached Blizzard and hugged his muzzle.

"I love you, big brother," he said.

"_I love you, too, little brother,"_ Blizzard said as he embraced Chopper back. _"Now…could you take this steak off my chest? It's really cold."_

"Oh! Sure!" Chopper said before he took the slab of meat off of his big brother's chest.

XXX

It's finally lunchtime. Today, the crew is having a deep sea fish Carpaccio with a tangy sauce.

However, Nami noticed that everyone had to come to eat except for one person: Luffy. At first, the navigator didn't really think much of it, but then she started thinking that maybe her boyfriend was still upset at her for taking away his meat privileges for two weeks.

She decided that maybe she was a bit too hard on her captain, so she sat up, got herself a fresh plate of Carpaccio.

"Nami?" Sanji asked. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to bring Luffy his dinner," Nami said.

Usopp gasped silently in the middle of eating.

"But Nami," Chopper said, "I thought you said that Luffy couldn't eat meat for two weeks."

"I know, but…I feel like maybe I was too rough on him," Nami said. "I'm gonna go and apologize."

With that, Nami went outside, but Usopp gasped and followed after her in a hurry.

"N-N-NAMI! WAIT!" he shouted before he stopped in front of her. "Uh…maybe you should give Luffy a little alone time, you know?"

"I think he's been alone, long enough," Nami said. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to bring him his food."

"Uh…he could still be a little upset, Nami!" Usopp said.

_In more ways than one,_ he thought.

"You know Luffy," Nami said, "he doesn't hold a grudge against someone unless he REALLY hates them. Now, move aside."

"Uh…uh…wait, Nami! Maybe Luffy is sick with a terrible disease!" Usopp said. "Uh…yes! That's it! He's got 'I'm-So-Mad-At-Nami-That-I-Can't-Even-Look-At-Her-Face-Or-I'll-Die' Syndrome!"

"Okay, Usopp," Nami said. "What the hell is going on?! You've been acting…I don't know…more jittery than usual!"

"J-jittery? Me?" Usopp asked. "Why, no! I…I…"

"_Sooner or later, you're gonna start regretting this."_ Luffy's words repeated in his head.

Usopp sighed.

"Okay, Nami," he said. "I…I've got something I need to tell you. Granted, it's not easy for me to say."

Nami looked at Usopp, inquisitively.

"Nami…I'm the one who broke your Clima-Tact," Usopp confessed, earning a gasp from the navigator.

"Usopp…" Nami muttered.

"I accidentally stepped on it and broke it in half," Usopp continued, "and…I was really scared about what you'd do, so I've been trying to fix it for you since this morning. What's worse is that Luffy saw me, and I talked him into not telling you. Nami…I'm really sorry, so if you're gonna beat me up, just…please, make it quick!"

A pause.

"Well?" Usopp asked. "What are you waiting for?! Aren't you gonna pummel me?!"

"No," Nami replied.

"What?" Usopp questioned.

"I'm not gonna beat you up, Usopp," Nami said. "I'm actually glad you told me at the last second. Not knowing who broke my Clima-Tact in the first place was driving me crazy."

Usopp smiled a little.

"However, that doesn't mean you're not in trouble, you know," Nami said. "After I bring Luffy his lunch, I'll decide a suitable punishment for you."

"Hey, I understand- wait, WHAT?!" Usopp cried. "Nami, wait! You don't wanna see Luffy! Seriously!"

Too late. Nami had already opened the door to the men's quarters and peeked inside.

"Luffy?" she called. "You in here?"

All she got in reply was a man, and she gasped when she saw her boyfriend lying in his bunk, groaning in pain and clutching his churning stomach.

"Luffy!" Nami exclaimed before she put the plate on the nightstand and ran to her captain's side. "Luffy, what's wrong? Are you all right?"

"My tummy hurts…" Luffy moaned.

_Oh, no!_ Usopp thought.

"How did you get a tummy ache, sweetheart?" Nami asked.

"I ate too much candy," Luffy answered.

"Where'd you get candy?" Nami asked.

"Usopp gave it to me," Luffy replied.

Nami's eyes went wide, and then she turned and glared at Usopp, who smiled sheepishly.

"Usopp," Nami said. "Why the HELL would you give Luffy candy?! You know his stomach is sensitive when it comes to sweets!"

"Uh…I was bribing him into not telling you," Usopp said.

"You BRIBED him?!" Nami shouted. "Oh, that's IT! Usopp, you are in deep crap!"

"B-b-but, Nami!" Usopp stammered.

"QUIET!" Nami snapped. "Usopp, as punishment, you're grounded for a month! Plus, I'm fining 150,000 Berries!"

"What?!" Usopp questioned. "But why?!"

"Why else?!" Nami asked. "The 100,000 Berries are for paying for the damage you did to Clima-Tact and the 50,000 Berries are for making Luffy sick!" She then turned to Luffy, who still felt rather sickly.

"Oh, Luffy, you poor baby," she said before she helped him out of bed. "Come on. Let's go to our room. You can lie down with me, okay? And I'll give you a nice tummy rub and a glass of ginger ale to help you feel better."

"Thanks, Nami," Luffy said.

Usopp stared after Nami and Luffy, the former of the two shooting a glare at the sniper, which caused him to flinch.

"I'm not speaking to you for the rest of the day," Nami hissed.

"Nami, it was a mistake," Usopp said. "I promise, I'll never do it again! I'm sorry!"

"Well…I guess I could forgive you," Nami said, "but don't think you're off the hook."

"I understand," Usopp said.

With that, Nami and Luffy left the room, leaving Usopp alone.

_I'm gonna be hearing more about this, later,_ Usopp thought, _and maybe tomorrow, too._

XXX

A moment later, Luffy and Nami are sitting in their love nest, a room that Franky and Usopp had made just for them. This room was once an extra storage room that nobody used, so Nami decided that it would be a gift to both herself and Luffy for their anniversary which was last month, but let's not talk about it, now.

Luffy made a small moan as Nami gently rubbed his tummy.

"Nami," he said.

"Hmm?" Nami hummed

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Usopp," Luffy said.

"Shh~…" Nami shushed him. "Don't worry about it. I'm not mad at you, anymore, okay?"

"But it was still a mistake to listen to Usopp," Luffy said. "I didn't wanna lie to you Nami."

"I said don't worry about it," Nami said. "Look, just go to sleep, okay? You'll feel better when you wake up."

"Okay," Luffy said before he closed his eyes and fell fast asleep with Nami sitting beside him, keeping him company.

XXX

The next day…

"So you're stuck in this room for a whole month?"

"Yep, but it's gonna be okay. At least I fixed her Clima-Tact, but she's still pretty sore at me. Plus…that beating I got didn't help much, either."

Luffy and Usopp are hanging out in the men's quarters, together. While Luffy had gotten his meat privileges back, Usopp was not allowed to leave the room, except for meals, but nothing else. It was a frustrating punishment, but the sniper took it in stride.

"So…how's your stomach feeling, Luffy?" Usopp asked.

"Better than it was yesterday," Luffy answered. "I'm sorry I told Nami that you gave me all that candy, Usopp."

"Nah," Usopp said. "I pretty much brought it on myself. You know, Luffy…you were right. I was regretting not telling Nami about breaking her Clima-Tact, and…it kinda felt good to confess to her."

Luffy smiled at Usopp.

"Oh, yeah!" Usopp said. "Sorry I made you sick, Luffy. It was a dumb-ass move, knowing how your stomach gets upset from eating too much candy."

Luffy then gave Usopp his signature toothy grin and chuckle.

"No problem!" he said.

Usopp smiled back at Luffy. The sniper may have made some mistakes, but at least he had learned from them…the hard way, that is.

"Hey!"

Sanji entered the men's quarters, holding up a raw steak covered in white fur.

"Why is this steak covered in dog hair?!" the cook asked.

Blizzard, who had been lying in his bed in the corner, threw his head up and looked at Sanji, then looked at the little bald spots on his chest, which he covered with paw, blushing red in embarrassment.

_I really hope Chopper's done with that hair growth formula,_ he thought

**THE END**

* * *

Yeah, sorry if this seems OOC to you people. I had this in mind for a long time.

Review, please!


	10. The Demon's Flower

One Piece: The Demon's Flower

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard, Jorge © Me

* * *

Summary- Zoro always thought of himself as a lone wolf, but then he realizes that maybe he's just lonely, and that the only woman that he sees himself with is a certain archeologist…who had not returned from her shopping trip with Chopper since this morning. Luffy/Nami, Zoro/Robin. Post time-skip.

* * *

It's another day on the _Thousand Sunny_, home to the Straw Hat Pirates. Everyone had just finished breakfast, and today, they had just landed on an island in the New World: Sapphire Cove Island. Nico Robin saw a bookstore earlier in town and decided that she wanted to go shopping, and of course, Tony-Tony Chopper decided to go with her to get a new medical book or two.

"Are you sure that you're gonna be fine, you two?" Nami asked.

"I'm sure," Robin said, reassuringly. "After all, I have our doctor for protection."

"Hey~!" Chopper said, blushing and wiggling happily. "Saying something like that won't make me happy, Robin, you jerk~!"

Robin and Nami chuckled.

Blizzard looked at Chopper and whimpered.

"Don't worry, Blizzard," Chopper told his big brother. "I'll be okay! I'll make sure that no one tries to bother me or Robin!"

"We'll hold you to that," Nami said. "Okay, you two. See you at sunset, right?"

"Right," Robin said with a smile. "I promise, it won't be another fiasco like back at Water 7. Come along, Chopper."

"Coming!"

With that, Robin and Chopper turned and entered the town, together.

At that moment, Nami went to tend to her tangerine groves, and who would she expect to find there but Monkey D. Luffy, her captain/boyfriend/secret fiancé, sitting on the rail with that usual goofy grin on his face?

"Hi, Nami!" he greeted the navigator.

"Hi, Luffy!" Nami greeted him back and gave him a kiss on the cheek, making his cheeks blush pink.

"Can I have a tangerine, please?" Luffy asked.

"Of course, sweetheart," Nami said with a sweet smile before she went to her tangerine. After looking for one that wasn't too hard or too soft. Once she found it, she plucked the fruit from the branches and started to peel it.

"Okay, Luffy," said Nami. "Open your mouth and close your eyes and you will get a big surprise."

Luffy nodded before he closed his eyes and opened his mouth. Nami wrapped her arms around his neck and captured his lips with her own. Luffy made a soft moan in her mouth when he felt something slip through his lips. Something sweet and juicy. He pulled away and started chewing on something before he swallowed.

"That was sweet," said Luffy.

"What was?" Nami asked. "The kiss or the tangerine."

"Both," Luffy said with a chuckle.

Nami smiled and hugged Luffy again, and Luffy returned her hug.

On deck, Roronoa Zoro is lifting weights in his hands, watching the captain and navigator doing their little "lovey-dovey" routine. The swordsman sighed. He was fine with Luffy and Nami dating and everything, it's just that at some points, it would irritate him. At least Luffy isn't very perverted like Sanji and Brook are.

He couldn't see what was so great about falling in love. To Zoro, love seemed to be a distraction, and that's why most people see him as a "lone wolf" of sorts. Normally, the last thing on Zoro's mind was romance.

However, lately, Zoro had one thing on his mind besides training. He didn't know why, but for some odd reason, he felt…empty, for a lack of better word. It was this…gut-wrenching, almost sad sort of feeling he had in his heart. He didn't know what it could be, though, but he did know one thing: this feeling only went away…whenever he was around Robin.

Zoro sighed and put the dumbbells down before he put his hand to his face.

_What is wrong with me?_ he thought, questioningly. _I can't concentrate on my training because Robin's constantly on my mind._

"Hey, Zoro."

Zoro turned and saw Luffy standing behind him.

"What do you want, now, Luffy?" asked Zoro. "Can't you see I'm busy? Go bother the cook or go make out with Nami like you always do."

"I can't make out with Nami or bug Sanji," Luffy stated.

"And why not?" Zoro asked.

"Because I already did!" Luffy answered with a stupid grin.

Zoro sighed, again.

"Then roughhouse with Usopp or the dog or something," he said. "Just…leave me alone, okay? I got lots of training to get done!"

"You don't look like you're busy," said Luffy. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine," Zoro said.

"You sure?" asked Luffy.

"Yes."

"Really sure?"

"Yes, Luffy."

"Really, really sure?"

"Yes!"

"Really, really, really-"

"GO AWAY, ALREADY, YOU DIMWIT!" Zoro shouted.

"Okay, okay!" Luffy said. "Sheesh!"

With that, Luffy walked away.

"Idiot," Zoro muttered before he walked up to his 1-ton barbell, tossed up into the air, stood up on one hand, and caught it on the heels of his feet and started counting.

"1…2…3…4…"

As he kept counting, Zoro's thoughts continued to wander to Robin.

He just couldn't understand it. Why is it that whenever he tried to get his mind off the archeologist, she would somehow slip right back into his thoughts? Why did he always feels this odd, somewhat angry sensation whenever Luffy and Nami together? And why is it that Robin was the only woman he ever saw himself with?

Could it be? Was the mighty Roronoa Zoro simply just…lonely?

Zoro shook his head and sighed. He couldn't concentrate with all these confusing emotions!

There was only thing he could think of doing.

XXX

"Ha…this is more like it."

It's sunset. Zoro is sitting on the deck, cross-legged and hands in his lap, his good eye closed.

It appeared that meditation was the just the thing he needed. Nothing could possibly interrupt him, now.

"Zoro!"

Well…almost nothing.

"What do you want, Nami?" Zoro asked, irritably. "If you're gonna start bitching at me and telling me to stop lying around, I-"

"Don't you start giving me any lip, smart-mouth!" Nami snapped. "This is important!"

"Fine, then," Zoro said. "What is it?"

"It's Robin and Chopper," Nami said. "It's almost sundown, and they're not back yet."

Zoro opened his good eye and stood up to face Nami.

"You're right," Zoro said. "Those two are never gone this long."

"Zoro…I'm worried," Nami said. "You don't think that Robin's in trouble, again, like back in Water 7, do you?"

"Hey, calm down," Zoro said. "Let's not jump to conclusions. Maybe they got lost or something."

"Oh, please, they're not stupid," Nami said. "Unlike you."

"I heard that!" Zoro spat.

**KLOMP! KLOMP! KLOMP! KLOMP!** The sound of pounding hooves is heard in the distance.

"Is that Chopper?" Nami questioned.

"Sure sounds like it," said Zoro.

Sure enough, there's Chopper, rounding a corner in his Walk Point form, but for some reason, he seemed rather frantic.

Also…Robin isn't with him.

"HELP!" he cried. "HEEEEEEEEEELLLLP!"

Chopper ran up the gangplank and stood before Nami and Zoro, and upon hearing Chopper's cries, everyone came outside, too.

"Chopper, what's wrong?" Nami asked. "Why do you look so panicked?!"

"And where's Robin?" asked Zoro.

"That's what I came back to tell you about!" Chopper said. "Robin's in big trouble!"

"What?!" Sanji questioned. "What do you mean, 'in trouble'?! Where is she?!"

"Sanji, simmer down!" Nami ordered. "Chopper, what happened? Where's Robin?!"

"She's been kidnapped!" Chopper answered. "And this time, it's for real!"

Everyone gasped.

XXX

Chopper, now in his Brain Point, brought the Straw Hats to the bookstore that he and Robin came by, earlier in town.

"This is where you last saw her?" Nami asked.

"That's right!" Chopper answered. "She went inside, but she was taking so long, so I went in to check on her, but I saw her trying to get away from these guys, but they were too strong and they put sea prism stone cuffs on her hands before they dragged her into the back room!"

"Why didn't you help her?!" Sanji asked. "You could've saved her!"

"I-I was too scared!" Chopper answered. "And besides, I had to get help! I'm sorry! Please don't be mad!"

"No one's mad, Chopper," Luffy said.

"Yeah, but those guys who took Robin could be long gone by now!" Usopp said.

"Maybe not," Nami said. "If I know Robin, I know that she'd leave some kind of clue to help her find us. We better split up and search. Sanji, you take Brook and search the east side of town. Chopper, take Blizzard and search the west. Usopp, Franky, and I will search the north. Luffy, you're with Zoro, so you two search south!"

"Got it, Nami!" Luffy said. "Wait…which way is south?"

Nami slapped her palm against her face and sighed in frustration.

"South…is behind you, Luffy," Nami answered.

"I knew that," Luffy said.

"When you find Robin and rescue her," Nami began before she handed Zoro, Chopper, and Sanji a Baby Transponder Snail, "call us and meet us back at the ship. After that, we're leaving."

"Right!" everyone said.

"Be careful, everybody," Nami said. "We don't wanna end up in another disaster like back at Water 7."

"Don't worry about a thing, Nami!" said Franky. "I'm SUPER sure that Nico Robin isn't gonna try and fly solo on us like last time!"

"I hope you're right, Franky," Nami said. "All right! Let's get to it!"

With that, the teams ran off in search of their lost crewmate, hoping that she is safe…for the time being.

XXX

It's dark out, and Luffy and Zoro are searching through the south side of the island.

"Dammit," Zoro cursed. "It's pitch black, out here! How in the hell are we supposed to find Robin now?!"

"I'm getting hungry," Luffy complained. "Maybe I should've asked Sanji to make me some meat before I left."

"Will you stop thinking about your damn stomach, for once?!" Zoro questioned. "How can you even think about food at a time like this?! Dammit, Robin's life could be at stake!"

"I've never seen you so concerned about Robin, before, Zoro," said Luffy. "Why is that?"

"It's…it's none of your business, okay?" asked Zoro. "I just can't let this end up like back at Enies Lobby. She's a member of the crew and…we need her."

"We need her?" Luffy repeated. "Or YOU need her?"

Zoro glanced at Luffy.

"What the hell are you getting at?" he asked.

"…to you, she's more than just a member of the crew," said Luffy. "If you ask me…I'd say you're in love with her."

Zoro froze before he glanced at Luffy.

"What did you just say?" he questioned.

"I said you're-" Luffy started.

"I HEARD YOU!" Zoro shouted. "All right, look. I have heard a LOT of ridiculous crap come out of your mouth, but what you just said REALLY takes the cake! Me? In LOVE?! With ROBIN?! ARE YOU OUTTA YOUR MIND?!"

"Hey, that's what I said when I fell in love with Nami," Luffy said. "When she joined up with us, I tried to kid myself into believing that we'd just be friends and nothing more, but it turns out she loved me, too. Maybe you should stop with this 'lone wolf' routine and just accept how you feel. Who knows? Maybe Robin might like you the same way."

"I highly doubt that," Zoro grumbled.

However, the more Zoro thought about it, the less he began to deny it. Maybe Luffy is right. Maybe all this time, all these bottled up emotions he had…were just feelings he held for Robin.

He did remember, back when Robin first joined up, two years ago, when he would ignore her attempts to befriend him and he would want nothing to do with her, but after the whole adventure on Skypiea, he stared to become a bit closer and a bit more friendly with her, especially after he caught her when she had gotten shocked in the head by Eneru. Then, after rescuing her from Enies Lobby, they became incredibly close. Zoro would always sit by Robin whenever she was reading on the deck, or follow her back to the ship because she always knew where to go (but he was always too proud to admit that he was lost), and sometimes, they would be seen sitting back-to-back, and the archeologist would smile a bit as the swordsman snoozed behind her.

And of course, there was the time back at the Sabaody Archipelago when Kizaru attacked and Robin tried to save his life pulling him to safety, only for Rayleigh to come at the last minute and save the swordsman for her.

After the crew reunited, Zoro began to notice Robin a lot more. In his good eye, she looked positively radiant. It must've been because she had pulled her hair back to reveal her forehead. It brought out her face more. Also, he remembered when he saved her from Hyouzu of the New Fishman Pirates back on the battle of Fishman Island. Ever since, he started to sit beside her more, and he couldn't stop thinking about her whenever she was away from him.

That's when Zoro realized…maybe Luffy was right, after all.

Maybe he was in love with Robin, but was too stubborn to admit it.

"Zoro?" Luffy called.

"What?" Zoro questioned.

"Don't you think it's time we called Nami?" asked Luffy.

"She said don't call unless we found Robin," Zoro answered before he looks down and saw…a trail of blood on the ground. "And I think we just found ourselves a clue."

"You think that's Robin's blood?" asked Luffy.

"Only one way to find out," Zoro said. "Come on. No time to lose."

With that, the boys followed the trail, all the way out of town and into the mountains. Once there, they soon saw that the forest is being patrolled by a bunch of men armed with rifles and swords. They weren't wearing Marine uniforms. Instead, they were wearing ragged and tattered clothing. They assumed that they were bounty hunters, or worse, human traffickers.

"I bet these bastards are the ones who kidnapped Robin," Zoro whispered to Luffy, hiding behind a tree. "I also bet that they're keeping her locked up somewhere inside the mountain."

"I think so, too," Luffy whispered, hiding under a bush. "I hear lots of voices inside the mountain, and they sound pretty angry. What do we do? Should we call Nami and tell her we found the guys who kidnapped Robin?"

"We can't," Zoro whispered. "We could give away our location. We're just gonna have to do what we do best."

"Kick their asses?" Luffy asked, excited.

"Yup," Zoro replied. "Now, wait for the signal. When I say go, we-"

Luffy ran out upon hearing the word "go" being uttered from Zoro's mouth, drawing the attention of the guards.

"Luffy, wait!" Zoro called. "I didn't mean now! I meant…oh, what's the use?"

Soon, Zoro joined his captain in the attack, and before long, the guards had been taken down faster than you could say "Jolly Roger".

"Well, now that that's taken care of," Zoro said before he faced a tunnel that lead into the mountain's interior, "shall we enter, captain?"

"After you!" Luffy said with a smile.

Zoro went into the tunnel, followed by Luffy. Soon, the whole tunnel became alit with torches lining the walls, where they could see the trail of blood that Robin had left behind, and upon reaching the end of the tunnel, the two came upon a fork.

"Dammit," Zoro cursed. "Okay, Luffy, you take the left, and I'll take the right."

"Got it," said Luffy before he turned to go down the right tunnel.

"And if you find Robin, come and find me so that we can get outta here," Zoro said.

Luffy nodded before he went down into the right tunnel while Zoro took the left.

_Please, Robin,_ the swordsman thought. _Please, be okay._

XXX

Zoro reached the end of the tunnel, and soon saw that the inside has been reworked to look like a prison of some sort. It was dark, so Zoro couldn't see much. However, he could the hear sound of a muffled voice, struggling, and upon listening closely, he realized that he recognized the voice.

"Robin!" he cried before he ran to find her. He didn't have to look long, though, for he soon spotted her, her hands cuffed behind her back, tied to a support beam by her neck, and gagged. Zoro spotted a small stream of blood leaking from her arm. This must've been the blood used to make the trail to lead him to her.

"Robin!" Zoro cried as he ran up to her.

Robin struggled, her voice muffled by the gag.

"Hold still," said Zoro as he took off the gag.

Robin gasped for breath before she turned to look at Zoro.

"Get out of here!" she cried. "It's all a trap!"

"What?!" Zoro questioned.

"Well, well."

Zoro turned and saw tall, muscular man with a handlebar mustache, a black opened vest, and a pair of beige trousers. He has a stitched up scar across his arm and he seemed to have a permanent grin on his face. Strapped to his back is a sword with a saw-like blade.

"So," said Zoro. "You must be the ringleader behind all this."

"Indeed I am," said the man with an authentic Spanish accent. "Permit me to introduce myself. I am Jorge 'the Panther'. I am known far and wide for hunting the most elusive of prey, and in this case, that is this gorgeous senora."

"Zoro, you have to get out of here!" Robin said. "He and his men only captured me to use me as bait to lure you and the others here! He's after our bounties!"

"After our bounties, huh?" Zoro asked before he drew his swords. "I don't think so, kitty cat."

Jorge drew his sword and chuckled.

"We shall see about that, mi amigo," said Jorge.

**KLANK!** Their swords clashed, creating a small spark that momentarily lit up the room.

"Tell me something, O great Pirate Hunter," said Jorge. "Why do you really raise your swords to save this senora? Is it simply because she's your crew member, or is there something more?"

Robin's eyes went wide.

"You sound just like my captain," Zoro said.

**SLASH!** He swung _Kitetsu III_ at the brute, pushing him back.

"Get it through your thick skull," Zoro began, "that I'm not in love with her!"

"That's what most men would say, at first," Jorge said, "but I understand if you are. I mean, look at her! Nico Robin is indeed muy bea. Very beautiful."

"Will you start speaking English?!" Zoro questioned. "Dammit, you're so annoying with that! And for the last time, I'M NOT IN LOVE WITH ROBIN!"

"Keep denying it, if you wish," said Jorge. "It won't change the face that I will chop off her head as soon as I'm done with you."

Zoro's eye went wide, but then he growled and put his hands over _Wado Ichimonji_.

"Three Sword Style…ULTRA TIGER HUNT!"

**SLASH! KLANG!** Zoro made a downward slash at Jorge, who blocked the attack with the blade of his sword.

"What the…?!" Zoro questioned.

**SHLAK!** Jorge cut Zoro in the shoulder with his sword, causing blood to spray.

"Ugh…!" Zoro grunted, but even with such a large wound, he did not fall. Instead, he clashed swords with Jorge again, and this time, he began to forcefully push him back,

"You really are as strong as they say," Jorge said in mock surprise.

"You ain't seen nothing, yet," said Zoro.

**SLASH!** Zoro pushed Jorge away with his swords.

"One-Sword Style…360 CALIBER PHOENIX!"

**WHOOSH!** He swung _Shuusui_ in a circular swing, creating a huge air-compressed slash that hits Jorge square in the chest. Surprisingly, he is still standing, despite the wound that has been left behind.

"One-Sword Style…BIRD DANCE!"

**SLASH!** Zoro made a crescent moon-shaped air-compressed blade of air, which Jorge blocked.

"Dammit!" cursed Zoro.

**WHAM!** Jorge leapt up and brought his sword down on Zoro, who dodged at the last minute. **PLURT!** Blood sprayed from Zoro's wound, forcing him to drop to one knee, causing Robin to gasp and continue to struggle to free herself.

**KLANK!** The two clashed swords once again.

"You think that that alone will be enough to stop me, muchacho?" asked Jorge. "I thought that the Pirate Hunter could do better than this."

Zoro seethed at Jorge and clenched the hilts of his swords.

"Zoro, no!" Robin cried. "Please, don't fall for it! He's just goading you!"

"You want better?" Zoro questioned. "I'll show you better!"

**TMP! TMP! TMP! TMP! TMP! TMP!** The swordsman charged Jorge who did the same..

"HAHAHAHAHA! That's right, Pirate Hunter!" Jorge shouted. "Come at me!"

"One-Sword Style…" Zoro muttered.

Jorge brought out his sword, once again.

"DIE, PIRATE HUNTER!" he shouted.

**SLASH!** The two swordsmen made their hit. However, they were both still standing…until…

"Lion's Song of Death."

**KLINK!** Zoro re-sheathed his sword. **SPLURT!** A huge gash opened up on Jorge, causing him to cry out in pain and shock before he fell to one knee.

"This…this is impossible," said Jorge. "No one has ever defeated Jorge 'the Panther'!"

"Your overconfidence in yourself was your downfall," said Zoro. "Next time, remember never to drop your guard."

Jorge seethed at Zoro, who panted and clutched the wound on his shoulder before he turned to look at Robin, who is still tied to the support beam. He turned and walked toward her.

"No…" Jorge said. "I refuse!"

**WHUP!** He lunged at Zoro from behind.

"Zoro, look out!" Robin cried.

"I REFUSE TO LOSE TO THE LIKES OF YOU!" Jorge roared, preparing to strike the swordsman with his blade in hand.

**CHINK!** Zoro sensed Jorge about to attack and put his hands on his swords, but before he could strike back…

"JET WHIP!"

**THWAK! KRASH!** An outstretched appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, kicked Jorge in the side, sending him crashing right into a wall.

Zoro looked back and saw Luffy walking up to them.

"Luffy!" Zoro and Robin cried.

"Who were expecting?" Luffy asked. "Gold Roger?" He laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny," said Zoro. "Go find the key to Robin's cuffs so we can get outta here!"

"Got it!" Luffy said before he ran over to Jorge's unconscious body and began to search for the key.

**SLASH!** Zoro cut off the rope that tied Robin to the beam and began to untie it from her neck.

"You okay?" he asked.

Robin simply smiled and said, "I am now."

Zoro smiled back at her.

"I've got the key!" Luffy exclaimed as he ran over to his crewmates. "Now let's get those cuffs off of ya, Robin!"

"Thank you, Luffy," said Robin. "But I'm afraid one of you are going have to carry me back to the ship. I twisted my ankle while I was trying to get away from the bounty hunters."

**KLAK!** Luffy unlocked Robin's cuffs, finally freeing her from the sea prism stone.

"Come here, Robin," said Zoro as he picked her up, bridal style. "Hang on tight."

Robin nodded and wrapped her arms around the swordsman's neck as he and their captain walked out.

XXX

After Zoro and Luffy contacted Nami and made it back to the ship (with Robin's help), the Straw Hats set sail from the island. Chopper had Zoro's and Robin's wounds patched up, as well as put a brace around Robin's twisted ankle.

"And this time, Zoro, KEEP THE BANDAGES ON!"

"Yeah, yeah, I heard it all before! Sheesh."

Zoro went outside, leaning against the railing and staring out to the crescent moon. The sky glittered with sparkling stars, and that made the sea glisten even more so.

"Mind if I join you?"

Zoro turned to see Robin, walking on a cane that Chopper gave her until her ankle felt better.

"Hey, Robin," said Zoro. "What's up?"

"I just wanted to say thanks again for coming to save me," Robin said.

"No thanks necessary," said Zoro before he looked back out to the horizon.

"…Zoro?" Robin called.

"Hmm?" Zoro hummed, questioningly. "What?"

"…did you really mean it when you said…you're not in love with me?" Robin asked, almost sadly.

Zoro's eye went wide, and he felt his cheeks blush.

"W…why are you worried about that?" he asked.

"Because…" Robin started, "…I think I'm in love with you."

Zoro froze.

"R…really?" he asked. "W-what makes you say that?"

"Well," Robin started, "whenever I'm around you, you make me feel so content and safe, and whenever I'm away from you, I can't stop thinking about you. I can't see myself with any other man…but you."

A pause.

"…I was wrong."

"What?" Robin asked.

Without warning, Zoro turned to Robin and pulled her into an embrace. Robin gasped silently, shocked by this sudden gesture, and wrapped her arms around Zoro's neck to keep herself from falling.

"I was wrong," Zoro said. "I was wrong to try and deny my own feelings…when the truth kept hitting me in the face, over and over. Robin…" he pulled away from her and looked her in the eyes. "…I love you."

Robin stared at Zoro in surprise, but then…she captured his lips with her own in a deep, passionate kiss, which the swordsman returned once he got over the momentary shock.

At that moment, Luffy came outside.

"Hey, Zoro!" he called. "Just wanted to let you know that Sanji almost has dinner read-" he stopped once he spotted Zoro and Robin kissing on the deck. He seemed surprised, at first, but then he smiled at them.

"I knew it," he said.

Then, Nami came out and gasped at the sight that lay before her eyes before she started to squeal in delight.

"I knew it!" she cried. "I just knew it! Ooh! I gotta tell Usopp! He owes me 10,000 Berries!"

With that, she ran off.

Then, Sanji came outside, but once he did, he soon wished that he hadn't. He was hoping that he was bearing witness to was just a nightmare and that he was going to wake up soon, but the more he hoped, the more he realized it was impossible.

**FWIK!** He lit up the cigarette in his mouth and then took a drag.

"Luffy?" Sanji called.

"Yeah?" Luffy answered. "What's up?"

"Hold me back," said Sanji.

"Why?" asked Luffy.

"Because…I'm gonna kill Zoro," Sanji replied.

Luffy gasped in horror, and before Sanji could even take so much as two steps, the captain hooked his arms around his, immobilizing him for the moment.

"NO, SANJI, DON'T!" Luffy cried. "PLEASE! JUST LET ZORO BE HAPPY, JUST THIS ONCE!"

"NEVER!" Sanji roared. "I'M GONNA KILL HIM! I'M GONNA RIP HIS HANDS OFF AND STUFF 'EM DOWN HIS THROAT! I'LLL FILET HIS INSIDES AND FEED 'EM TO THE DOG! **DAMN YOU, MOSS-HEAD!**"

"GUYS! HELP ME!" Luffy called. "SANJI'S GONE NUTS! HE'S GONNA KILL ZORO BECAUSE HE'S KISSING ROBIN!"

Soon, the rest of the boys came out and held Sanji back.

"Don't do it, Sanji!" cried Usopp.

"It's not worth it!" Brook added.

"Think of what you're doing, man!" Franky shouted.

"Please, Sanji!" Chopper cried, holding onto the cook's leg. "Zoro's shoulder needs time to heal! He doesn't need you making it worse!"

Blizzard growled as he held Sanji by the back of his pants.

Nami heaved a sigh before she turned to look at Zoro and Robin, who are on the way up to the Crow's Nest, and smiled.

_Good for Robin,_ she thought. _I'm glad she found love. Zoro, too._

"WHY, ROBIN?!" Sanji cried with comically tears. "WHY CHOOSE THAT MOSS-HEAD OVER ME?! WHY~?!"

Nami then sighed in exasperation.

_But I guess this means that Sanji's probably gonna get even more desperate,_ she thought.

**THE END**

* * *

Sorry if the fight scene wasn't all that good.

Review, please!


	11. Tattoos

One Piece: Tattoos

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

* * *

Summary- When Luffy asks Nami about her tattoo, he decides he wants one, too, but the navigator won't let him. Luffy/Nami, Zoro/Robin fluff, post time-skip.

* * *

It's another day in the New World, and a seemingly perfect day for sailing. The _Thousand Sunny_, home to the Straw Hat Pirates, has recently docked on another island, and Nami, the navigator, is sitting in the library, drawing the island's map to add to her map of the world.

Suddenly, **KNOCK! KNOCK!** Nami looked up once she heard a knock on the door, and she sighed.

"Who is it?" she called.

The door opened, revealing Luffy behind it.

"Hi!" he greeted her.

Nami smiled and stood up to greet her boyfriend/secret fiancé with a hug.

"Hi, Luffy," she said, sweetly.

Luffy smiled and his cheeks flushed a light shade of pink, and then he pulled away.

"So, what's going on?" Nami asked.

"Ah, nothing," Luffy replied. "Got bored, so I came to see what you were doing."

"Well, as you can see," Nami began as she gestured to her desk, "I've been busy drawing my maps, again."

"Oh," Luffy said. "Don't you ever get bored when you draw your maps? Not that I've got nothing against it and all."

"Not really," Nami said.

Luffy scratched at the back of head, and then he eyed the tattoo on Nami's shoulder. It was then that he remembered that the navigator had that tattoo ever since she officially left Arlong's crew and joined the Straw Hats, and all this time, he wondered: what did the odd shape mean, anyway?

"Hey, Nami?" Luffy asked.

"Hmm?" Nami hummed, inquisitively.

"I've always wondered," he said, "what is your tattoo supposed to look like?"

"Oh!" Nami replied. "It's supposed to be a tangerine and a pinwheel."

"Oh," said Luffy. "…I still don't get it."

Nami sighed, but chuckled inwardly at Luffy's simpleminded behavior. It was almost cute to her how naïve he could be.

"Well, Luffy," she explained, "some tattoos are just worn to make people look cool, right?"

Luffy nodded enthusiastically.

"And sometimes, tattoos are worn to mean something, kind of like a pirate flag," Nami said.

"Oh! Okay! I get it!" Luffy said. "But, wait…what's your tattoo supposed to mean?"

"My tattoo represents my love of tangerines and pinwheels," Nami replied.

"Oh," said Luffy. "So…some tattoos are meant to say that you love something, right?"

"Exactly," Nami answered.

"Can I get one?" Luffy asked.

Nami's eyes went wide.

"Uh…I'm sorry…?" she said, questioningly.

"I wanna get a tattoo like yours!" Luffy answered.

"Uh…sorry Luffy," Nami said, "but no."

"Huh?" Luffy muttered. "But…why not?!"

"Well…tattoos can be a little expensive," Nami said. "Plus, the ink can get into your bloodstream and make you sick."

"But you're wearing one and you're not sick," Luffy remarked. "Come on, Nami! Please~?!" He gave Nami the "puppy-dog eyes", something that the navigator usually couldn't resist.

"Luffy, I'm sorry," Nami apologized, "but when I say 'no', I mean NO! And that's final! And don't try and pull off that 'I'm the captain' stuff, again, because it won't work! Now, please get out. I'm very busy."

"But Nami-" Luffy started.

"NOW!" Nami barked.

Luffy yelped before he scrambled out of the room.

"I really hate when I have to say no to him," Nami said as she sat back down at the desk and continued, "but…I gotta be firm with him."

Outside, Luffy sat down on the deck, arms crossed and bottom lip poked out in a pout.

"That's not fair," he said. "How come Nami has a tattoo, but she says I can't?"

"_Hey, Luffy."_

Luffy looked up and saw Blizzard approach him.

"Hey, Blizzard," Luffy greeted the wolf-dog with a gentle pat on the head.

"_Why the long face?"_ Blizzard asked.

"Well, I wanna get a tattoo," Luffy replied, "but Nami won't let me get one. I don't know why."

"_Why do you wanna get a tattoo?"_ Blizzard asked.

"So that Nami and I will match!" Luffy answered. "She's got a tattoo, so why can't I get one?"

"_Maybe she thinks you'll get a bad one,"_ Blizzard said. _"I've seen people do it before back on Rivet Island."_

"But I'd never get a bad tattoo," said Luffy. "I'd get a really cool one!"

Blizzard seemed to hum, inquisitively, and then he grinned.

"_I got an idea!"_ he said.

"You do?" Luffy asked, excitedly.

"_Yeah,"_ Blizzard answered. _"Listen. Nami and Robin are going shopping as soon as Nami's done with her map, right? As soon as they're gone, let's go into town and find a tattoo parlor, and then try and come back before the girls do!"_

"That's awesome!" Luffy said before he hugged Blizzard around his neck. "Thanks, Blizzard! You're probably the smartest dog I know!"

Blizzard smiled and wagged his tail.

"_By the way,"_ Blizzard said. _"What exactly is this tattoo supposed to look like?"_

Luffy then pulled away and scratched his head.

"Uh…I dunno," he replied, but then he lit up.

"I know!" he said. "Maybe Usopp can help! He's good at drawing!"

"_Good idea,"_ Blizzard said. _"You go ask Usopp and I'll wait out here when you're ready."_

"Okay!" Luffy said before he went to go look for Usopp.

XXX

Down in the Usopp Factory, Usopp is busy with a little project: making a model boat.

"Let's see," said Usopp as he prepared to glue just one more part of the model on. "Just glue this one little piece and it will be fin-"

"Hi, Usopp!"

"DAH!" Usopp yelped as he ended up throwing the model boat off his desk and onto the floor, causing it to be smashed to pieces.

"Great…" the sniper grumbled before he turned to face Luffy, who seemed oblivious to what he had done.

"Hey, Usopp, I need a quick favor," said Luffy.

"What is it, Luffy?" Usopp asked.

"I need you to draw something for me," Luffy replied. "A tattoo."

"You want me to draw you a tattoo?" asked Usopp.

"Yeah," Luffy answered. "Think you can do it?"

"Well…sure! Why not?" Usopp answered before he cleared his desk, pulled out a sheet of paper, and some pencils, a black one and some colored ones.

"So, what do you want it to look like?" Usopp asked.

"Well…" Luffy said.

XXX

About fifteen minutes later, Luffy returned to the upper deck, holding a piece of paper that Usopp had given him.

"_About time,"_ Blizzard said. _"Nami and Robin just left. What took you so long?"_

"Sorry, buddy," Luffy said. "You know how Usopp is when it comes to art."

"_Yeah, yeah,"_ Blizzard said. _"Anyway, get on. If we're gonna find a tattoo parlor, we might as well go now."_

"Right," Luffy said before he pulled himself up onto Blizzard's back. "Let's ride!"

**RUFF!** Blizzard barked before he ran off into town.

XXX

It took about maybe an hour or two, but Luffy and Blizzard finally found the tattoo parlor.

"Be right back, Blizzard," Luffy said.

"_Don't take too long in there,"_ Blizzard said. _"Remember, we wanna be back before Nami does and notices we're gone!"_

"I know," Luffy answered as he entered the tattoo parlor, and was soon greeted by the owner, a young man about 23 years of age. He had brown hair that has been dyed in navy blue streaks, a black tank top, and a pair of blue baggy jeans. Luffy could see various tattoos on his body, as well as a nose and lip piercing.

"Welcome to Hugo's Tattoos!" said the owner. "I'm Hugo. How can I help you?"

"I wanna get a tattoo," answered Luffy. "Something like this."

He handed Hugo the piece of paper that Usopp gave him.

"Ah," Hugo said with a grin. "A classic. Just come and sit down."

Luffy smiled before he went to sit down in the chair, and Hugo approached him with some sort of electric pen.

"So, where do you want it?" asked Hugo.

"On my chest," Luffy answered, "close to my collarbone."

"Okay," said Hugo. "You're gonna feel a bit of a sting, at first, so just hold still."

"I can take it," Luffy said confidently.

Hugo smiled before he began his work, and Luffy had to admit, it did sting for a bit, but he withstood the pain and sat through the procedure. As quickly as it started, it was over, and Luffy left the tattoo parlor, happy as a lark.

"_You done, already?"_ Blizzard asked. _"Feels like you were in there for hours. So, what's it look like?"_

Luffy pulled his cardigan back, revealing his tattoo.

"_Wow!"_ said Blizzard. _"Looks great! Nami's gonna love it!"_

"I hope so," Luffy said. "Come on! Let's head back before Nami does!"

Blizzard got down low so that Luffy could climb onto his back, and once the Straw Hat captain had gotten on, the wolf-dog turned and ran, heading back to the _Sunny_.

At that moment, Nami and Robin appeared, carrying many packages and bags with them.

"Hey, look!" Nami said. "A tattoo parlor!"

"I see," said Robin.

"I'll be right back, Robin," Nami told the historian. "I think it's time I got a new tattoo."

Robin chuckled and nodded.

"I'll be waiting out here when you're done," she said.

With that, Nami went inside and is soon greeted by Hugo.

"Welcome to Hugo's Tattoos!" Hugo greeted. "I'm Hugo. How may I help you, ma'am?"

"I'd like to get a tattoo, please," Nami answered before she held up a piece of paper. "Something like this."

"Excellent!" Hugo said. "Right this way!"

Nami smiled and followed Hugo to the chair.

XXX

Later on, at the _Sunny_, everything seemed peaceful and quiet. "Seemed" being the key word, here.

"MONKEY D. LUFFY~!"

Luffy cringed when he heard his name being called by none other than Nami. He know for a fact that the navigator did not shout his full name like that unless he was in very big trouble.

"Oh, boy," Usopp said. "You better go see what she wants Luffy."

"Now," Chopper agreed.

"_She sounds angry enough, already,"_ Blizzard added.

Luffy gulped before he left the men's quarters and came out on deck, where he found Nami and Robin, the former looking very angry, and, for some reason, wearing some bandages around her right shoulder.

"Uh…hi, Nami," Luffy greeted his girlfriend.

"Don't you 'Hi, Nami,' me, mister!" Nami snapped. "You know very damn well what you did!"

"I do?" Luffy questioned.

"As Robin and I were returning to the ship," Nami began, "we stopped at a tattoo parlor. While I was there, I had a talk with the owner, and he said that a young man in a STRAW HAT came by there earlier for a TATTOO!"

"Well, I only-" Luffy began.

"Luffy, when I said 'No tattoo', I MEANT IT!" Nami shouted. "How could you just go behind my back like that?!"

"But Nami-" Luffy started.

"But what?!" Nami questioned.

"I got one because I wanted us to match," Luffy answered.

Nami sighed in exasperation.

"Okay, Luffy," she said. "Let's see it. Show it to me!"

Luffy smiled before he pulled his cardigan back, revealing his chest, and Nami gasped.

There, on his left pectoral, between the scar on his chest and his collarbone, is a red heart with an arrow penetrating it and a white ribbon wrapped around it, and on the ribbon is Nami's name.

Nami looked at Luffy, whose smile grew bigger, and she smiled back with tears forming in her eyes.

"You said that tattoos can mean that you love something," said Luffy, "and I love you, Nami!"

"Oh, Luffy…!" she said before she hugged Luffy tightly, and the captain returned her embrace with a chuckle.

"So does this mean you're not mad at me, anymore?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah," Nami said. "Sorry I snapped at you."

"So…why do you have a bandage around your shoulder?" Luffy asked, a bit concern. "Did you get hurt?"

Nami smiled at Luffy before she reached over and began to pull off the bandages, revealing a big red heart, like Luffy's tattoo, only instead of a white ribbon, there is a big black "L" in the center.

"Uh…okay," Luffy said. "I get the heart, but…what's L supposed to mean?"

"'L' for Luffy, you big dummy!" Nami said with a laugh.

"Oh!" Luffy said before he laughed and hugged Nami again.

Zoro, who happened to be coming down from the Crow's Nest at the time, saw the two and smiled at them, and Robin approached the swordsman, putting one arm around his shoulder and tracing his chest with her finger.

"Maybe we should get some tattoos, some time," said Robin.

"Yeah, right," said Zoro. "I don't need some ink drawing on my skin to tell people how much I love you."

Robin chuckled.

"True," she said, "but it's just a thought."

**THE END**

* * *

Aww, isn't that sweet? Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Review, please!


	12. Watch Duty

One Piece: Watch Duty

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One Piece © Oda

Blizzard and Slick Von Rupert © Me

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Summary- The Misfit Trio is left to watch the ship while the rest of the Straw Hats are away, and when a thief attempts to sneak onboard, hilarity ensues. Contains Luffy/Nami, Zoro/Robin, and slapstick! Thank you, yellowpikmin88 from deviantART, for the help. Truly appreciated.

* * *

It is a beautiful morning on the _Thousand Sunny_, home to the Straw Hat Pirate Crew. The crew of pirates have recently arrived at Gold Amber Island, an island known for its beautiful amber caves and amber merchandise, like mosquitoes and other insects fossilized in said tree resin. Everyone, even pirates, are welcome here. It is here that our takes place.

The Straw Hats were running low on supplies and other such things, but luckily, they happened to stop here. However, there was a bit of an important matter to discuss: who would watch the ship while the others were gone?

It was Luffy, the captain, who ended up taking the job. Now normally, Luffy would not be one to stay cooped up on the _Sunny_ all day, as much as he loved her, complaining that he would miss all the possible "adventures" on the island, but of course, Nami sweet-talked him into staying put, saying that she would give him a little…reward later tonight.

Luffy couldn't resist. However, the others knew very well that when left alone, Luffy is a ticking time bomb of trouble. The last time they left Luffy on guard duty, he had somehow gotten a hold of Robin's coffee and well…let's just say that it was not a pretty sight to behold when the crew returned. Therefore, Luffy had to have two, as Nami would put it, "captain-sitters" to watch him.

Tony-Tony Chopper and Blizzard were the ones to volunteer, since Luffy said they were more fun than Zoro and Sanji.

Thus, the Misfit Trio is left to watch the ship.

"Now, Luffy," Nami said as she handed her secret fiancé a piece of paper, "just because you're watching the ship doesn't mean you can do whatever you please. Here's a list of chores for you, Blizzard, and Chopper to do, and I expect you to do finish every last one of them. You hear me?"

"Yes, Nami," Luffy replied.

"Chopper, are you sure that you and Blizzard can handle keeping an eye on Luffy?" Usopp asked. "You know how he is."

"Don't worry about it!" Chopper said. "We can handle it!"

Blizzard nodded in agreement.

"Okay, then," Usopp said. "If you say so."

"Are we gonna get this show on the road or what?" Zoro asked, impatiently.

"Yes, yes, Zoro," said Robin, her signature sweet smile on her face. "We're leaving."

"Be good, honey, okay?" Nami asked Luffy before she gave him a peck on the lips.

"Yes, Nami," Luffy answered before he returned the kiss.

"That goes for you boys, too," Nami said to Blizzard and Chopper. "Keep a close eye on Luffy and make sure he doesn't get into any trouble, you hear?"

"You can count on us, Nami!" Chopper declared, flashing a thumbs-up (well…hooves-up in his case).

**RUFF! RUFF!** Blizzard barked.

"All right, then," Nami said.

"Good luck, guys!" Franky exclaimed.

"And if you get hungry, I left you a snack," Sanji said.

With that, the Straw Hats headed off into town, leading the Misfit Trio on the ship, alone.

However, they weren't truly alone, for nearby, watching from the corners of a dark alley is a skinny, crooked-looking man with a dark gray hooded cloak, brown boots, and red suit. He has a coiled-up mustache and spiky black hair, a red pointy nose, and he is wearing a malicious, toothy grin on his lips.

"Hehehehehehe!" the man snickered. "The Straw Hat Pirates are here on Gold Amber Island! I've waited a very long time for this chance! Their captain's bounty may be huge, but I'm not stupid enough to try and challenge a brute that's much too powerful for me, so I always go for the next best thing: their treasure, and no treasure can elude I, the great Slick Von Rupert!"

With that, Slick slinked away into the shadows, concocting his plan to rob the Straw Hats of whatever treasures that they had stowed away on their ship. However, he was about to find out that it was easier said than done.

On the _Sunny_, the Misfit Trio is sitting on the main deck, pondering on what they should do, and soon they got their answer in the form of a loud rumble coming from within Luffy's stomach.

"Oops!" Luffy said with a bit of a giggle. "There goes my hungry alarm, again!"

"_Why does that not surprise me?"_ Blizzard asked.

"I'm a bit hungry, too," said Chopper.

"_Didn't Sanji say that he left a snack for us?"_ Blizzard asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Luffy said. "Let's go!"

With that, the trio headed into the kitchen to fill their empty bellies, but once they got there, boy, were they in for the surprise of their lives: what Sanji called a "snack" looked more like a regular buffet to them! It had a various assortment of fruit, meat, appetizers, and other treats!

"Wow~!" Luffy and Chopper cried with twinkling eyes and watering mouths.

"_Okay,"_ said Blizzard. _"If this is a snack, I'm a yappy little Chihuahua!"_

"Let's eat!" Luffy cheered, and soon, the three gluttons began their gorging.

Outside, Slick had boarded the _Sunny_, having seen the three pirates head into the kitchen to eat their fill. He snickered as he crept along the deck.

"So far, so good," he muttered. "Now all I have to do is find out where they horde their treasure."

As Slick ventured further unto the deck, he didn't notice that in the middle of his snacking, Luffy had haphazardly tossed a banana peel outside. By the time Slick realized it, however, it was too late. He stepped on said fruit rind and end up sliding across the grassy deck, right over the railing, and into the water below with a scream and a **SPLASH!**

Blizzard suddenly threw his head up and looked outside.

"_Uh…guys?"_ he called to Luffy and Chopper. _"Did you hear something?"_

"Uh-uh," Chopper replied.

"Not me," Luffy answered.

"_Huh,"_ Blizzard muttered. _"I guess it must've been my imagination. Oh, well."_

With that, the Misfit Trio continued to eat.

Outside, Slick had managed to climb back up onto the docks, sopping wet and coughing up water.

"That was only…a minor setback," he said to himself.

XXX

"Ugh…I'm SO stuffed."

"Me, too."

"_Me, three."_

About maybe 15 minutes later, Luffy, Blizzard, and Chopper had finished their gorging and are now sprawled out on the floor with swollen bellies as big and around as balloons.

"_Man, I haven't eaten that much since I had some of Hachi's octopus balls,"_ said Blizzard.

"That was so good," said Chopper.

"You're telling me," said Luffy as he got to his feet, using the sofa to support his now bulging frame.

"So now what do we do?" the bloated captain asked, lightly patting his stomach.

"Didn't Nami say we had to chores to do?" Chopper asked.

Upon remembering that, Luffy reached into his pocket and pulled out the list of chores that Nami had given.

"Number 1," Luffy read. "After you eat, make sure you clean up the mess in the kitchen."

The trio looked around and saw the pile of dirty dishes they left on the table, as well as the scraps of food left on the floor.

"Well, uh…we better get to cleaning then, huh?" Chopper asked.

"Yeah," Luffy answered.

With that, they got to work on cleaning the kitchen. They did do a rather bad job of it, though. Luffy kept breaking the dishes, Blizzard kept getting the soap in his mouth and nose since he couldn't use his paws to pick the dishes up, and Chopper had trouble gathering up the trash. It would pile up in his arms and he wasn't able to see where he was going.

Meanwhile, Slick is trying to get back on board the ship again by climbing up the hull using suction cups on his hands and feet.

"I'm not one to give up so easily," he said as he climbed up the hull.

However, as Slick continued to sneak his way on board, Chopper came out with a pile of garbage he had gathered in his hooves. He had tried to find the trash bin, but he ended up getting lost since so much of it was in his face. Suddenly, the little reindeer tripped, causing him to drop all the garbage in the sea.

"Oopsie," Chopper said. "Well…maybe no one will notice."

With that, Chopper returned to help Luffy and Blizzard clean up the mess in the kitchen, but little did he realize that not only did he dump the trash into the sea, but he also dumped it on Slick, too.

"Just another…minor setback," he said.

Suddenly, Luffy came outside with a bucket of dirty soapy water he used to mop up the kitchen floor. He went over to the railing, and then poured the water right on Slick, who screamed in pain since the soapy fluid got into eyes. Not just that, but it was so slippery, it caused his suction cups to slip off and fall off the hull, and Slick soon fell back into the water, once again with a big **SPLASH!**

Luffy looked down, but he saw nothing, so he just assumed it was only his imagination and resumed cleaning the kitchen.

Luckily, the seawater rinsed out the soap in his eyes and he grumpily managed to pull himself up on the pier before saying, "Another minor setback!"

XXX

"Okay! Here it comes, guys!"

Chopper tossed a soccer ball over to Luffy, who kicked it over to Blizzard, who bumped it back to Chopper with his nose, and the whole process repeated over and over.

After they completed their chores, the Misfit Trio decided to play a game of Hot Potato to pass the time.

However, as the trio continued to play their little game, they didn't notice Slim once again pulling himself up over the railing.

"Those fools won't stop me," he said. "They're playing dumb, I know they are. They're trying to keep me from finding their treasure!"

As Slick made his way onboard, once more…

"Heads up!" Luffy cried before he suddenly kicked the ball…a bit too hard, for he sent it flying over Chopper's head. **BAP!** The ball ended up hitting Slick smack in the face, and both he and the ball ended up hitting the water, once again, with a big **SPLASH!**

"Oh, no!" Chopper cried.

"_Nice job, Luffy!"_ Blizzard barked. _"That was our only soccer ball!"_

"Oh, calm down, I'll get it back!" Luffy said before he went to fish the ball out of the water by stretching his arm down and grabbing it.

"By the way," Luffy said. "Did you guys hear screaming or something?"

"Not me," Chopper answered.

"_Not that I know of,"_ Blizzard replied.

Luffy just shrugged and went back to playing the game, and at that moment, Slick pulled himself back onto the pier, his face bruised from getting hit with the ball.

"Yet…another…minor setback," he panted.

XXX

About an hour later, the boys got tired of playing Hot Potato, so they looked for something else to play with. They searched Luffy's toy chest, but couldn't find much to play with. That's when Luffy suggested that they go to the Usopp Factory to see if the sniper had anything to play around with, and they happened to come across his fireworks collection.

"Sweet~!" Luffy exclaimed. "Hey! Go get Sanji's matches and we'll light up a few!"

"Way ahead of you, Luffy!" Chopper said as he held up a matchbox.

Blizzard held up a rocket in his mouth, and Luffy lit the fuse with a match, and he and Chopper began the countdown.

"10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1! BLAST OFF!" they exclaimed.

**FWOOOSH!** The rocket went off and zoomed around on the ship, ricocheting off the walls and almost hitting the Misfit Trio, had they not ducked down in time. However, when they came back, Luffy somehow ended up with Chopper's hat on his head and Chopper ended up with Luffy's hat.

In the midst of all the commotion, they didn't realize that Slick had made his way on board, once again.

"This time," said Slick. "This time…for sure!"

Suddenly, **BOOM!** The rocket explodes, and the resulting colorful explosion sent Slick flying back down into the water.

"Ooh~! Ahh~!" the Misfit Trio moaned at the display of lights.

XXX

Meanwhile, in town, Nami and the others were still on their way from their shopping trip when suddenly, they saw the blast coming from the docks.

"Are those fireworks?" asked Nami.

"In the middle of the day?" Brook asked.

"Oh, god, don't tell me that Luffy found my fireworks collection, again," Usopp grumbled. "He nearly burned the _Going Merry_ down the last time he played with them!"

"Uh…I think it's time we head back," Nami said. "I don't think Blizzard and Chopper are doing a very good job at watching Luffy, but first, we gotta find Zoro…again."

Everyone except Robin groaned.

XXX

Later, after they managed to clean up the embers from the fireworks, the Misfit Trio decided to take a bit of a nap on the deck to recharge.

When Slick saw this, he knew it was the perfect opportunity to sneak onboard and find where the treasure was stowed away…or so he thought.

Slick snickered as he crept across the deck, but as he did, he didn't realize he was dangerously to stepping on the sleeping Blizzard's tail…until it was too late.

**CRUNCH!** Slick stepped on Blizzard's tail so hard, the wolf-dog woke up, yowling in pain and jumping around like a bucking bronco before **POW!** He kicked Slick in the face with his hind-paws, sending him flying into the water with a **SPLASH**, once more.

Upon hearing Blizzard's pained howls, Luffy and Chopper immediately awoke.

"Huh?!" Luffy muttered. "What's going on?!"

"Blizzard, are you okay?!" asked Chopper.

"_Huh?"_ Blizzard questioned. _"Oh! Y-yeah, I'm okay, it's just…I dreamt someone stepped on my tail and when I woke, my tail really hurt!"_

"Let me see," said Chopper before he held his older brother's tail and felt around it. When he touched the spot where Slick stepped on it, he heard Blizzard make a small yelp.

"_Yeah,"_ Blizzard said. _"Right there. That's where it hurts."_

"It's not broken, thank goodness," said Chopper. "I'll just wrap it right up."

"_What would I do without you, Chopper?"_ Blizzard asked with a smile, and the little reindeer smiled back at him.

On the pier, Slick once again pulled himself out of the water, panting.

"Minor…setback…" he grumbled.

XXX

A while later, after Chopper bandaged up Blizzard's tail, Luffy woke up from his nap, again, only to find that Blizzard and Chopper are still asleep.

To pass the time, the captain decided that he should do a bit of training, for Rayleigh had advised him to do so on Rusukaina. So, he headed up to the crow's nest and found Zoro's weight lifting set.

"I hope Zoro doesn't mind if I use one of these," Luffy commented as he looked around. He spotted a rather large looking dumbbell, at least a ton.

"I wonder…," Luffy mused before he grabbed the bar of the dumbbell and attempted to lift it up. However, the weight proved to be a bit too much, even for Luffy, for he started to stumble backwards.

"Whoa!" Luffy cried. "W-w-whoa! Whoa! WHOA!"

**KRASH!** The dumbbell ended up crashing right through the window, carrying Luffy with it!

"WHOOOOOOOOAAAH!" Luffy screamed as he fell to the deck.

Unbeknownst to anyone, Slick had finally snuck aboard, once again. One had to admit, this man was surely determined. Perhaps a bit crazy, as well, for continuing to board this particular pirate ship.

"So far, so good," said Slick. "Maybe now, I can finally make some progress-"

He was soon interrupted by the sound of Luffy's screams, and when he looked up, he soon wished he didn't once he saw the dumbbell headed right for him.

"Oh…no…!" Slick whimpered.

**BAM! KERSPLASH!** The dumbbell ended up slamming right into Slick, causing him to, once again, fall right into the ocean!

"Luffy?!"

Luffy looked up and saw Chopper and Blizzard approaching him.

"_What's wrong, are you okay?!"_ Blizzard asked.

"Oh, yeah!" Luffy answered. "I'm okay!"

Blizzard spotted the dumbbell that Luffy was holding, as well as the large hole in the deck that it made, and sighed in exasperation.

"_Luffy, are you serious?"_ the wolf-dog asked. _"I mean, look at what you just did, man! How the hell are we gonna explain this to Franky when he gets back?! He'll have our freaking skins!"_

"I'll just say sorry," said Luffy. "Besides, it was pretty much an accident."

"_Yeah, you just keep telling yourself that, pal,"_ Blizzard asked.

Back on the pier, Slick had pulled himself out of the water, once again, and this time…he had had it.

"That's it…" he hissed. "I've had enough of their tomfoolery! Screw taking their treasure!"

**SHEEN!** From the hood of his cloak, he pulls out a crooked dagger.

"If I can't take their treasure," said Slick with an evil, toothy smirk, "then I'll take their HEADS instead."

XXX

A while later, Luffy got hungry again, so he went to go and find another snack to eat. To make sure that he didn't get his hands on any candy from Usopp's secret stash and risk getting a stomachache, Blizzard decided to let him eat the remaining apples from one of the storage rooms.

Since Chopper was still a bit tired, he decided to snooze just a bit longer.

At that moment, Slick appeared, standing on the roof of the crow's nest and snickering malevolently as he eyed little Chopper like a hawk, the blade of his dagger pointing dangerously downward, as if aimed right for the little reindeer's heart.

"I'll start with the pet, first, since his bounty is so low," Slick commented. "Then I'll go after White Wolf's head, and finally, Straw Hat's…I better knock those last two out first, though."

With that, Slick leapt down, prepared to plunge the knife in Chopper's heart, but then, just as the thief neared the littler doctor…

"Ah…ah…!" Chopper suddenly yelped in his sleep. "No! No! Stay away! Stay back! G…g…GUARD POINT!"

**FWOOF!** Chopper unwittingly shifted in Guard Point in his sleep, and Slick, clearly not expecting it just ended up bouncing off the giant ball of a fur with a **BOING!** Once more, the hapless thief was sent flying into the sea for probably the last time.

"Chopper?!"

Chopper, having gone back into his Brain Point form, awoke and saw Luffy and Blizzard approaching him.

"What happened?!" Luffy asked.

"_We heard you scream!"_ Blizzard said, worriedly. _"You okay?!"_

"Y-yeah," Chopper said. "I just had a bit of a bad dream, that's all."

"You sure?" Luffy asked.

"Yeah," Chopper answered. "I'm okay, now. Honest."

"Yoo-hoo~! We're back~!"

Luffy gasped in delight.

"Nami's back!" he exclaimed before he ran to the gangplank to greet his girlfriend with Blizzard and Chopper following behind.

Sure enough, there was Nami and the rest of the Straw Hats, and the moment Luffy saw the former, he threw his arms around her in a loving embrace of greeting. Nami could giggle as she hugged her boyfriend back.

"I missed you, too, sweetie," the navigator said before she turned to Chopper and Blizzard.

"So, how'd it go, guys?" asked Usopp.

"Well…Luffy did cause a bit of a mess a couple of times," said Chopper, "but other than that, everything was okay!"

"Really?" Nami asked. "Well, in that case I-"

"WAIT JUST A MINUTE, YOU FOOLS!"

Everyone looked up and saw a sopping wet Slick pulling himself out of the water and onto the pier.

"You…you damn pirates!" he cursed. "How dare you just go about like nothing ever happened?! Do you even any idea who I am?! I am the greatest thief who ever lived: Slick Von Rupert, and all day, you, Straw Hat Luffy, have put me through HELL! Well, I've had enough of it, do you hear me?! Screw taking your treasure! I'll take your heads and collect the price on your pathetic heads!" He then leered at Nami, who backed away a bit at the sight of him.

"And I think I'll start with Cat Burglar over there," said Slick as he began to advance toward the navigator, but unfortunately, he couldn't get so much as an inch towards her because then, **KABAM!** He was soon met with a fist to his face, and once more, he was sent flying right into the sea…and way too far from the pier this time.

The Straw Hats stared, dumbfounded at the event before they looked to their captain, who nonchalantly dusted his hands off before he turned to look at his crew?

"What?" Luffy asked. "He was asking for it!"

Nami hugged Luffy again, causing him to blush a bit.

"My hero," she said before she kissed her captain on the cheek, causing him to blush a bit harder.

"O…kay," Sanji muttered. "Who the hell was that guy?"

The Misfit Trio could only shrug, and the crew decided that they would hurry about it over dinner. For now, they were just happy that things were in one piece when they returned…until Sanji saw that there was still a big mess left in the kitchen, and the last the words the Misfit Trio heard before their whole world went black was, "HELL MEMORIES!"

**THE END**

* * *

About time I updated this!

And now that that's finished, I'll try upload more of the Fishman Island Adventure and The Tale of Princess Nami!

Review, please!


	13. Disagreements

One Piece: Disagreements

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

* * *

Summary- Tired of Luffy's reckless behavior, Blizzard confronts him about it, but knowing how hardheaded Luffy can be, it could be easier said than done. (Post time-skip, contains Luffy/Nami, Zoro/Robin. WARNING: Luffy may be OOC.)

"Ouch!"

"Hold still, please, Luffy!"

"Sorry."

It appeared to be another usual day on the _Thousand Sunny_, home to the Straw Hat Pirates…well, almost usual. Tony-Tony Chopper is currently in the sick bay with one of his usual patients: Monkey D. Luffy. Now normally, Luffy would only go to the sick bay for one of these two things. It was either A: a candy-induced stomachache, or B: an injury he had sustained during a fight. Today, it just so happened to be B.

The Straw Hats happened to have a bad run-in with the Marines earlier this morning, and Luffy attempted to challenge the Commander in charge of the fleet. Unfortunately, he didn't acknowledge the fact that he happened to be armed with a zanbato. When Luffy made a move to attack, he had been struck in his right side by the huge sword and was given a very deep and rather dangerous wound.

The crew has recently docked at an island, which they decided to make their impromptu hideout, after they escaped, and Chopper found that Luffy's injury was so deep, that he needed to have it closed with at least 98 stitches. The young reindeer had just finished doing so, and is now wrapping Luffy's stomach up in bandages.

"There," said Chopper. "All finished."

"Thanks, Chopper," Luffy said.

"You know, Luffy," said Nami, who happened to be staying at her lover's side the whole time, "you should really be more careful. If you hadn't just go charging that Commander, you wouldn't be in this mess, right now!"

"Sorry," Luffy apologized, although he didn't sound like he meant it.

"Now, Luffy," said Chopper. "You should lie down and get plenty of rest."

"Okay," said Luffy, "but first, I gotta get a lunchbox from Sanji. Usopp and I are going bug hunting!"

"NO YOU'RE NOT!" Nami shouted.

**BONK!**

"OUCH! NAMI, THAT HURTS!" Luffy cried, holding his head.

Just outside the sick bay door is Blizzard, who lied down on the kitchen floor with a somewhat grim expression. One look at this wolf-dog, and anyone could tell that he is upset about something, and it was obvious that he is upset about Luffy getting injured. Actually, it isn't the only thing he is upset about.

For as long as he had known Luffy, Blizzard had noticed one of the many things that made up his reputation: being absolutely reckless. At first, when Blizzard joined up with everyone, two years ago, he didn't really think much of it, but as time went by, he saw Luffy taking his fighting a bit too far, and it usually ended with him having some serious injury, and the more this happened, the more Blizzard found himself worrying for the captain's wellbeing. Not only that, but Luffy's behavior had gotten the rest of the Straw Hats in danger more times than he could count.

More than anything, Blizzard was afraid that all this recklessness was going to cost Luffy something more than just sweat and blood: it could cost him his very life.

Blizzard would ask Chopper why Luffy does such things, but he always got the same answer.

"That's just the way Luffy is."

Unfortunately, that answer was never good enough for Blizzard.

At that moment, Chopper came outside of the sick bay, but when he did, he accidentally bumped into Blizzard's backside.

"Oh!" Chopper said. "Hi, Blizzard!"

Blizzard turned to look at Chopper with that same listless expression.

"What's the matter?" Chopper asked. "Are you still worried about Luffy? If you are, it's okay! As long as he doesn't do anything to open up his stitches, he'll be fine!"

Blizzard heaved a sigh before he stood up on all fours, towering over Chopper.

"_It's…not just Luffy's stitches that I'm worried about,"_ the wolf-dog said, much to Chopper's confusion.

"Well, what's wrong?" asked Chopper.

"_Chopper…let's go somewhere where no one can hear us,"_ said Blizzard.

Chopper's eyes went wide, and he sighed in slight exasperation. Every time Luffy got hurt like this, Blizzard would always take Chopper so they could speak somewhere private about the captain's recklessness, and needless to say, the little reindeer was getting quite miffed, but he decided to go along with it just to get it over with.

"Fine," Chopper said.

XXX

Later, in the Soldier Dock System, Blizzard and Chopper are sitting by the _Shark Submerge_, and after what felt like hours, the former finally spoke.

"_Okay, Chopper,"_ said Blizzard. _"I know I've been talking to you about this, A LOT, but…I have to know. Why must Luffy be so reckless all the time?"_

Chopper heaved a sigh and said, "Blizzard, I keep saying-"

"_And please don't say that's just how he is!"_ Blizzard nearly snapped. _"That's not good enough!"_

Chopper cringed a bit at Blizzard almost snapping, but then he managed to compose himself.

"Blizzard, I'm sorry," said Chopper. "But…that's all I can think of."

"_Chopper,"_ Blizzard said. _"I may not have grown up with Luffy, but still…I'm only asking because…I'm worried about him. I worry about him all the time, and I'm pretty sure that you and everyone else on the crew worry about him, too. Remember back on Thriller Bark? He used both his Gear Second and Gear Third techniques, and you said so yourself that he'd tear his body apart!"_

"That was two years ago," Chopper rebuked. "I'm sure he has much more control of his Gears, now."

"_There was also that time on the Sabaody Archipelago where he tried to attack Sentomaru, and Kizaru, and those Pacifistas!"_ Blizzard said.

"It was a desperate situation, back then," said Chopper. "Besides, he admitted we couldn't beat them the way we were before."

"_And do I have to mention what happened in Impel Down?"_ Blizzard asked. _"You know, when he fought Magellan and nearly got poisoned to death?"_

"Like I said, Blizzard, that was a desperate situation," said Chopper. "Luffy was trying to rescue Ace and he got in his way. I would've done the same thing if I were him, actually!"

"_Well, what about what happened at Marineford, two years ago?"_ asked Blizzard. _"He almost exhausted himself, twice, and was nearly killed by all three of the Admirals!"_

"Blizzard, Ace was gonna get killed," Chopper argued. "You were there, anyway! What did you think was gonna happen?!"

"_And what about happened on Fishman Island, when Noah was falling?!"_ asked Blizzard. _"He almost died from blood loss!"_

"The entire island was in danger!" Chopper exclaimed. "Not to mention ourselves! We'd all be flattened!"

"_Chopper!"_ Blizzard shouted.

"Look, Blizzard," Chopper said. "You just have to accept the fact that that's just how Luffy is!"

Blizzard growled softly in frustration before he stood up and walked out.

"Where are you going?" Chopper asked.

"_Sorry, Chopper,"_ said Blizzard. _"But that answer is just not good enough for me. If you can't give me the right answer…then I bet Luffy will."_

With that, Blizzard left Chopper by the _Shark Submerge_, and for some reason, the latter couldn't help but feel a twinge of worry in the pit of his stomach.

XXX

In the kitchen, Luffy is happily enjoying a heaping plate of spaghetti and meatballs for lunch, messily slurping up noodles and getting the sauce almost anywhere besides inside his stomach, much to Sanji's disgust.

"Sanji!" Luffy called as he finished his plate. "More spaghetti, please!"

"Sure thing!" Sanji called. "You sloppy, bottomless pit of a…" he trailed off when he saw a certain wolf-dog enter, and for once, it didn't appear that he was looking for a peanut butter snack.

Luffy looked up at Blizzard, absentmindedly licking the sauce off his lips, and noticed that his canine companion had a rather cold glare in his cherry blossom pink eyes.

"_Luffy,"_ Blizzard said. _"We need to have a talk."_

"Can't it wait?" Luffy asked. "I'm eating."

"_No,"_ Blizzard replied, bluntly. _"Now get off your ass and come outside with me. NOW."_

Luffy seemed a bit confused at how angry Blizzard sounded, but simply brushed it off as nothing. So, after he wiped his face with the table cloth (much to Sanji's irritation), the captain followed the wolf-dog outside onto the lawn deck.

"So what's up?" Luffy asked.

"_Okay, Luffy,"_ Blizzard said. _"Something just had to be said about this, all right?"_

"About what?" Luffy asked.

"_About you!"_ Blizzard replied. _"Luffy, I may not have grown up with you, but I've known you long enough to realize that you're completely reckless!"_

"Reckless?" Luffy asked. "What's that? Some kind of cake?"

"_Are you kidding me, Luffy?!"_ Blizzard questioned. _"You don't even know what being reckless IS?! Man, you really are a moron!"_

"Hey!" Luffy exclaimed.

At that moment, Nami happened to come outside after finishing drawing a map of the island, but when she spotted Luffy and Blizzard on deck, she just stood there, watching them, although a bit confused about what Blizzard was saying consider the face that he is a dog.

"_Luffy,"_ Blizzard began, _"when someone is being reckless, it means they're being absolutely careless and indifferent to danger! Take today, for example. You just blindly charged that Marine Commander, even though you saw that he had a giant sword that could've easily cleaved you in half!"_

"Well, yeah," Luffy answered, "but it didn't. I only cut me in the side."

"_That's not the point, Luffy!"_ Blizzard shouted.

"Why are you yelling at me?" Luffy questioned. "I'm not yelling, so why are you?!"

Soon, Zoro, Robin, and Franky came out on deck as well, watching Luffy and Blizzard beginning to argue.

"_Look Luffy!"_ Blizzard said. _"All I'm saying is that you're being too headstrong! One of these days, it could cost your life!"_

"So what?!" Luffy asked. "I've cheated Death before!"

"_Well, maybe one day, Death won't give you a chance!"_ Blizzard argued. _"Dammit, Luffy, you can't keep taking all these risks! Think about your dream! Dammit, think about your CREW!"_

Before long, Chopper, Brook, Usopp, and Sanji came outside next to watch the spectacle.

"Why do you think I take all these risks, you stupid dog?!" Luffy questioned. "I'm not doing it to kill myself! I'm doing it to protect the people I hold dear to me! Even if it means losing my life, then that's fine with me!"

"_WELL IT'S NOT FINE WITH ME AND IT'S PROBABLY NOT FINE WITH THE OTHERS, EITHER!"_ Blizzard barked.

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU YELLING?!" Luffy shouted. "I'M NOT YELLING, SO WHY ARE YOU?!"

"_BECAUSE YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF, THAT'S WHY!"_ Blizzard shouted.

"WELL, YOU'RE PISSING ME OFF, TOO!" Luffy yelled.

"_Oh, really?"_ Blizzard asked. _"Well, what are you gonna do about it, Luffy?! You gonna punch me, like you did to Usopp?!"_

Luffy's eyes went wide. A vein appeared on his forehead as he clenched his hands into tight fist. **POW!** Before Blizzard knew it, he found Luffy's knuckles connecting with his jaw. **KRASH!** The wolf-dog was sent crashing into a wall, much to everyone's shock.

"Oh, no, not this again!" Usopp exclaimed, remembering a certain incident that happened in Water 7.

"Luffy, are you crazy?!" Franky questioned.

Blizzard pulled himself out of the hole in the wall that he had made, and looked at Luffy, who sent him a vicious glare.

"_You…bastard…!"_ the wolf-dog hissed.

"Come and get me, you damn fleabag," Luffy said.

**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWRR!** Blizzard roared before he charged at Luffy, who got into a fighting stance.

"Luffy! Blizzard!" Chopper cried to his two big brothers. "STOP!"

**WHAM!** Blizzard tackled Luffy and rammed him right into the wall behind him, but since the captain was made of rubber, it didn't really faze him as much as the wolf-dog thought, but right now, it didn't really matter to him. All he knew was that he was in a fight…one he wished he didn't have to get into.

**BAM!** Luffy managed to catch Blizzard off guard with a swift punch to the jaw, causing him to stagger backwards, and at that moment, Luffy charged at the wolf-dog, stretching his arm back and twisting it around as he did.

"Gum GUUUUUUUM…RIFLE!"

**POW!** Luffy punched Blizzard, smack in the middle of his chest. If Blizzard weren't so resilient, then that punch would've definitely stopped his heart. The wolf-dog only retaliated with a fierce bite to Luffy's shoulder.

"GAH!" Luffy cried in pain before he pushed Blizzard off and then tackled him onto the deck.

"LUFFY! STOP!" Zoro called.

"YOU'LL OPEN YOUR STITCHES!" Nami yelled.

"_Steel FANG!"_ Blizzard shouted as he turned his fangs black with his Armaments Haki and bit down on Luffy's ankle and proceeded to thrash him around. Luffy quickly made him let go when he kicked him right in the eye. The wolf-dog yowled in pain before he growled at the captain, his left eye twitching in pain before he lunged at Luffy and tackled him again.

Before long, the crew decided that it was probably best to break this up now before it got too far, so they ran to stop their two crewmates. Nami, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp held Luffy while Chopper, in Heavy Point form, Robin, Franky, and Brook held Blizzard back. The two fighting Straw Hats growled at each other, struggling to get free from their crewmates.

"Lemme go!" Luffy snapped. "This fleabag needs to be taught a lesson!"

"Forget it, Luffy!" Usopp argued.

"Whatever the damn Mutt said, let it go!" Zoro added.

"_Get the hell outta my way!"_ Blizzard barked, although the only one who can understand him is Chopper.

"Blizzard, stop it!" Chopper shouted. "Leave Luffy alone!"

"Luffy, you still need to rest!" Nami said. "If you get into another scrape like that, your stitches will come open and your guts will spill out!"

"_Now you probably get what I mean, huh, Luffy?!"_ Blizzard questioned.

Luffy pushed Nami, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp off of himself, and Blizzard did the same to Chopper, Robin, Franky, and Brook.

"Listen, Blizzard!" Luffy snapped. "I'm the captain and you're my dog! You can't tell me what to do!"

"_I'm just trying to look out for you!"_ Blizzard argued. _"What'll it take to get you to realize that?!"_

"I can take care of myself!" Luffy spat. "You're my _dog_, not my babysitter, and if you don't like it…"

"Luffy, wait!" Zoro said.

"Don't say it!" Usopp cried.

"THEN YOU CAN JUST LEAVE!" Luffy shouted.

All of time seemed to a complete standstill. The Straw Hats stared at Luffy, shocked and horrified by his words. Even Luffy covered his mouth when he realized what he had just said, but no one was more shocked, more horrified…and more heartbroken…than Blizzard.

"…you idiot," Sanji whispered, a hand slapped on his forehead.

"B…Blizzard," Luffy muttered. "I didn't-"

"…_you know what, Luffy?"_ Blizzard asked. _"Forget it, all right? I can tell when I'm not wanted anymore."_

"But Blizzard, I didn't mean it!" Luffy said. "I was only-"

"_SHUT UP!"_ Blizzard barked at Luffy. _"I don't care…I don't care what you say anymore. As of today, Luffy…I'm not your dog, anymore. And Chopper?"_

Chopper gasped.

"…_take care of yourself,"_ Blizzard said, and with that, the wolf-dog ran down the gangplank and off into the island's dense forest.

"NO!" Luffy cried as he attempted to run after him, only to be held back by Zoro.

"No, Luffy!" the swordsman said. "Stop! Let him go!"

"NO!" Luffy screamed as tears began to well up in his eyes. "LEMME GO! LET GO OF ME! STOP IT!"

The more Luffy struggled to get out of Zoro's grasp, the tighter Zoro held onto Luffy, refusing to let go of him. Eventually, the captain broke out into ear-piercing sobs and fell to his knees. Zoro let his arms go by then, allowing Luffy to curl up and cry, and Chopper, in Brain Point form, soon joined him.

"…I'm sorry, Blizzard~!" Luffy whispered as he sobbed. "I'm so sorry!"

Little did Luffy that Blizzard had not gone too far away. He is actually sitting behind one of the trees closest to the _Sunny_, and when he heard Luffy's heart-wrenching, he couldn't help but shed tears, as well.

_I'm sorry, Luffy,_ he thought as he turned and walked away, and no sooner had he done so that it began to rain.

XXX

It has been almost seven hours since Blizzard's supposed defection from the Straw Hat Pirates. The rain continued to pour down hard outside. The crew had gone inside, taking shelter from the downpour. However, anyone could tell that the tension in the atmosphere is very thick, and it wasn't just because of the rain.

Luffy had shut himself away from the crew inside his and Nami's room, lying on the bed, refusing to let anyone enter but Nami. One might think that because it was so quiet, the captain had simply cried himself to sleep. On the contrary, Luffy is very much awake. He just couldn't sleep after what happened earlier this afternoon.

To him, it was bad enough Usopp when he got into that fight with Usopp on Water 7, but it was even worse knowing that he had just pretty much told his best canine friend to leave the crew. As if that wasn't worse enough, but Chopper suddenly stopped talking to Luffy, saying that he wanted nothing to do with the captain. Luffy didn't blame him, though. He knew how close Blizzard and Chopper were, and the latter had the right to be angry.

He just wished that he could go back in time and stopped himself from saying what he had said. Hell, if he could, he'd stop himself into getting into that fight with Blizzard, period, but he couldn't.

All he could is lie in bed, overwhelmed with heartache.

Just then, **KNOCK! KNOCK!** There came a knock on the door.

"Luffy? It's me."

"…come in," Luffy answered.

Nami opened the door, a plate of meat in her other hand.

"Hey," the navigator greeted her beau. "I brought you some meat, just in case you were hungry."

"…I'll pass, thanks," said Luffy.

Nami sighed before she placed the meat on the nightstand, went around the bed to her side, sat down next to Luffy, and gently pulled him onto her lap.

"…my tummy hurts," Luffy said, simply.

"I know, I know," Nami said as she began to gently rub Luffy's belly, but even that didn't seem to cheer him up like it usually did. "You poor baby. I just hate seeing you like this."

"…I didn't mean to say it, Nami," said Luffy. "I didn't really want Blizzard to leave. I-I was just so mad and-"

"Shh~!" Nami shushed Luffy, gently petting his head. "There, there. It's gonna be okay. It'll be all right."

"…I wanna go look for him, Nami," said Luffy as he began to tear up, again. "I wanna go out there and find him, but Zoro said I can't. He said that I would be a bad captain if I did! But I don't care! I want my dog back, Nami! I WANT MY DOG BACK!"

"Luffy, calm down!" Nami cried as she tried to get her captain to settle down. "Please! You have to calm down, honey!"

"I WANT BLIZZARD BACK~!" Luffy screamed before he broke into sobs, again.

At that moment, Zoro came in, and needless, he did not look please at all.

"What are you doing in here?!" Zoro asked Nami. "What part of 'He needs to be left alone' do you not understand?!"

"Zoro, he needs me right now!" Nami argued.

"Dammit, Nami, he does not need your freaking pity!" Zoro remarked. "If he's gonna cry like a baby, then don't help him!"

"GET OUT!" Nami shouted. "JUST GET OUT, ZORO, OR I'M RAISING YOUR DEBT!"

Zoro growled before he turned and left, slamming the door behind him. By the time he left…Luffy had tired himself out, and all Nami could do was watch him, and soon, she burst into tears, as well.

"Oh, Luffy…!" she said as she held her captain and began to cry.

XXX

It had to be at least 11 o'clock at night…and the rain is still pouring down.

Most of the Straw Hats had already gone to sleep for the night. Nami said that tomorrow, the crew would be leaving the island, for she knew that it was only a matter of time until the Marines find out where they are, and she didn't want to take chances.

However, one Straw Hat is wide awake: the captain himself.

Luffy lied in his and Nami's bed, the latter in a deep sleep beside him. The captain just couldn't bring himself to fall asleep, now, as tired as he was from fighting and crying all day. The thought of Blizzard being left alone on the island…it just continued to eat at him from the inside out. He just couldn't let this go, no matter how hard he tried.

Zoro told him it was pointless to think about Blizzard.

"He's not one of us, anymore," he said. "You're only making a mistake if you go after him."

Luffy clenched at the blanket and chewed his lip to the point where a tiny drop of blood trickled from it. Soon, he threw the covers off himself and got out of bed, being careful not to disturb Nami.

"I have to go and find Blizzard," said Luffy. "If I can't convince him to come back, I should at least say goodbye to him."

With that, the captain left his and Nami's quarters, crept passed the slumbering Zoro and Robin, who are now sharing the women's quarters together, and went out into the pouring rain. Once he walked off the gangplank, he headed deep into the forest.

Little did he know that a certain swordsman happened to see him, and he could only sigh in exasperation.

"I thought that idiot learned his lesson, the last time," said Zoro before he went back into his and Robin's room. "Oh, well. It's not my problem, now."

XXX

"Blizzard!" Luffy called as he walked through the forest, the rain still pouring down onto the earth, which had now become wet, slippery mud. By this time, the rainstorm had gone into a full blown thunderstorm, but that did not deter Luffy one bit.

He had to find Blizzard before he left. It wouldn't be fair to just leave him here without a word. Even if Blizzard said he isn't Luffy's dog anymore, Luffy still saw him as such.

"BLIZZARD~!" Luffy called. "WHERE ARE YOU~?!"

The only answer he got was the clap of thunder.

"Where are you, Blizzard?" Luffy asked as he wandered out into an empty meadow. "Please…I'm really sorry. You know I say things I don't mean when I get mad, sometimes! I…I don't know what I'd do without you…who's gonna lick peanut butter off my toes? Who's gonna chase seagulls and roll around in the mud with me? Who's gonna fight bad guys with me?! I…I just want you back, Blizzard."

A pause came, but then, Luffy heard the sound of foliage rustling. He gasped and turned around, smiling hopefully.

"Blizzard?" he asked, beaming.

Wrong.

Out of the shadows came a whole army of Marines, and not just any Marines, but the same Marines he and the crew fought with, this morning. Luffy gasped, this time out of surprise and shock.

"Y…you guys aren't Blizzard!" Luffy said.

"No…we're not."

Luffy turned around and saw a shadowy figure step out in front of all the other soldiers, and he is revealed to be a tall, rather burly man, a bit like Hamburg of the Foxy Pirates, just less giggly and had a more chiseled face and a Fu Man Chu mustache. He wears a dark blue suit with black pinstripes, a Marine coat draped over his shoulders, a mop of auburn hair atop his head, and in his hand…a large zanbato.

He is Commander Olaf, the man who delivered that near-fatal wound to Luffy earlier this morning.

"Well, well," said Olaf. "If it isn't Straw Hat Luffy? I thought we'd find you running away to this island to lick your wounds. What's wrong, Straw Hat? Looking for your little lost doggie~?"

"Shut up!" Luffy said. "I don't even wanna deal with you guys right now!"

"Don't want to fight, eh?" asked Olaf. "Not so tough now without White Wolf to help you, are you?"

"What are you talking about?!" Luffy asked. "I don't need Blizzard!"

"Really?" asked Olaf. "Then prove it. Men! Attack! I want Straw Hat Luffy in chains!"

The Marines charged at Luffy, who took a fighting stance. As soon as the Marines drew closer, Luffy stretched out his leg and kicked them out of his way. However, a few more came, armed with sabers.

"Take THIS!" Luffy shouted as he stretched his arms out and punched from both sides. He then turned and saw another come up behind with a spike ball mace.

"Gum Gum…BELL!"

Luffy stretched his neck back and slammed his head into the Marine's head, knocking him out cold. As he turned to face three more Marines from behind, **PLURT!** Blood suddenly squirted out through his bandages. Luffy grunted in pain and clutched at his right side. As he pulled his hand away, he saw a fair amount of blood that had spilled on his palm.

"Dammit…!" Luffy cursed. "My stitches opened up!"

"Something the matter, Straw Hat?" asked Olaf.

"I…I'm just fine!" Luffy retorted, albeit still clutching his reopened wound.

"Prove it, then," said Olaf as he held up his zanbato. "Face me."

Luffy growled before he charged at Olaf, his fist held up.

"Gum Gum…PISTOL!" he shouted before he stretched out his arm in attempt to deliver a hard punch to Olaf's jaw. Instead, his fist ended up bouncing off the side of the blade.

"What the hell?!" Luffy questioned.

"Is that the best you've got?!" Olaf asked. "I really thought that a man with 400 million on his head could do better than this!"

"I'm just getting started!" Luffy barked. "Armaments Hardening!"

**SHEEN!** Luffy's arms became black and hard as iron, and he stretched them back behind himself.

"Gum GUUUUUUUM…BAZOOKA!"

**POW!** Luffy's hardened palms landed right smack in Olaf's stomach, causing him to cough up blood. However, Luffy soon felt a wave of pain as he clutched at his open wound and felt his own blood beginning to seep out, again.

Olaf growled as he held up his zanbato and began to bring it back down on Luffy, who looked up and somersaulted out of the way, causing the huge blade to hit the ground and form a crater.

Unfortunately, when Luffy landed on the ground, he ended up slipping on the ground because of the rain, and as if that wasn't bad enough, more blood came spilling out of his wound. Luffy suddenly found his vision beginning to blur, and the whole world started spinning around him.

"What's wrong, Straw Hat?" asked Olaf. "Out of breath, already?"

Luffy struggled to stand up, but it looked like the loss of blood had finally taken its toll on him. He could only drop to the ground, still grasping his side. His breathing became labored as he tried to keep himself together, but with every move he attempted to make, the more blood that came spilling out of him. Suddenly, he couldn't take anymore. He just lied down on the ground in seeming defeat.

Olaf snickered as he approached Luffy, holding his zanbato beside him.

"This is the true power of Straw Hat Luffy?" he asked. "What a joke." He then lifted his zanbato over his head, and his men watched as the Marine Commander prepared to deliver the finishing blow.

"Yeah! Do it Commander!"

"Finish Straw Hat!"

"Lop his head off!"

Luffy weakly lifted his head to look at Olaf, who prepared to bring the zanbato down on his head.

"That bounty of yours is mine," he said. "Say goodnight, Straw Hat Luffy!"

Just when Olaf was about to make due with that promise, _**AWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~!**_ An eerie howl began to fill the air, and then, out of nowhere, a white blur whizzed passed the Marines and tackled Olaf.

Luffy weakly raised his head up again, but because his vision started to thin out, all he could make out were the sounds of Olaf's screams of pain and horror, as well as vicious growling and barking, the sound of sharp teeth tearing into flesh, followed by more screams and the sound of footsteps that got softer and softer, and then…silence. Luffy saw a white shape approaching him, and a voice calling his name…but then…nothing.

Everything went black.

XXX

"…fy? Lu…y! Luffy, wake up! Wake up!"

Luffy let out a small moan as he opened his eyes. The first thing he sees is a wooden ceiling, and when he looked to his right, he saw Nami, Chopper, as well as the rest of the crew, who smiled at him.

"Guys?" Luffy asked. "Ugh…w-where am I?"

"You're back on the _Sunny_," Nami answered.

Luffy attempted to sit up in the bed, but Nami eased back down against the pillow.

"You shouldn't get up," Nami said. "Chopper said you lost a lot of blood after you reopened your wound."

"When we found out the Marines were on the island we were on, we had to hightail it outta there," said Zoro.

"But wait," Luffy said. "I was in the middle of the forest. How did you guys find me?"

"We didn't," Robin answered.

"_He_ did," Usopp added as he pointed to the door. Luffy followed his gaze and saw, to his surprise, that it is none other than Blizzard.

"…Blizzard?" Luffy asked.

"…_hey, Luffy,"_ said Blizzard, although with a hint of guilt and sadness in his voice.

It felt like a whole hour went by before Luffy said anything.

"Guys?" Luffy asked. "Could you…give us some alone time?"

"Sure, Luffy," said Nami, and soon, the entire crew filed out the door, leaving Luffy and Blizzard alone.

An awkward pause. Luffy scratched the back of his head, as if trying to find the right words to say. Just when he was about to open his mouth to speak…

"_Okay, I'm sorry,"_ Blizzard said, suddenly. _"I'm sorry I started yelling at you, Luffy, okay? It wasn't in my place to do that."_

"…but Blizzard," Luffy said.

"_No!"_ Blizzard barked. _"Don't try and say it was your fault! You're the captain…I'm your dog. I'm not supposed to go against your ways. Usopp made that mistake, and you guys were just about to abandon him, even though you didn't want to."_

"But we didn't," said Luffy.

"_That's not the point, Luffy,"_ said Blizzard. _"…I just wanted you to stop being so reckless all the time, that's all."_

Luffy stared at Blizzard before he reached over and gently pet him on the head, much to the wolf-dog's surprise.

"…I don't really mean to be reckless," said Luffy. "It's just…you know that I'm just trying to look out for the people I care about."

"_And I can understand that,"_ Blizzard said, _"but…don't you think you're being a little inconsiderate?"_

"What do you mean?" Luffy asked.

"_Well…what about the people that care about you?"_ asked Blizzard. _"Like me, and Nami, and Chopper, and Zoro, and everyone else?"_

Luffy looked down, as if to think for a minute, but then he looked at Blizzard again.

"_Luffy, there are a lot of reasons why I go out of my way to protect you,"_ said Blizzard, _"but I'll just name a few, 'cause I know you'll fall asleep if I told them all. First of all…I don't wanna see this crew without a captain to lead it. Second…I don't want Nami to be widowed before she even marries you."_

"Wait, you know we're engaged?" Luffy asked.

"_No, I didn't,"_ said Blizzard with a smirk. _"You just told me."_

Luffy slapped his palm against his forehead.

"_Relax,"_ said Blizzard. _"Your secret's safe with me."_

"Thanks," Luffy said.

"_And most importantly,"_ Blizzard started, _"…I don't want a lose another master."_

Luffy's eyes went wide.

"_Now you know, right?"_ Blizzard asked. _"I mean…I know I probably can't change you Luffy, but that doesn't mean I can't stop worrying about you. I hope you understand that, now."_

"…I do," Luffy said. "And…if it means that much to you…I'll try and stop being so reckless, so much."

"_You promise?"_ asked Blizzard.

"Yeah," Luffy answered.

"…_in that case,"_ said Blizzard, _"can I…be your dog again?"_

Luffy smiled at Blizzard, a tear forming in his eye.

"Of course you can, you stupid fleabag," he said tearfully.

Blizzard tearfully smiled before he went over to Luffy, who sat up and embraced the wolf-dog's neck.

"I love you, buddy," said Luffy as his tears spilled out of his eyes.

"_I love you, too, Luffy,"_ said Blizzard. _"Let's never fight like that, again, okay?"_

"Okay," Luffy agreed.

That night, Nami and Chopper went to go check on Luffy, but when they did, they found Blizzard curled up on the floor with Luffy lying on the wolf-dog's side, wrapped up in the blanket. All they could do was smile at them before they left them to rest. Even though these two best friends had a huge disagreement, at least they were able to forgive and forget in the end.

Too bad Zoro had Sanji take away Blizzard's peanut butter privileges for three weeks as punishment for fighting with Luffy.

**THE END**

* * *

Sorry I took so long updating my little one shots collection. Also, sorry if the fight scenes were a bit too short. This probably isn't my best work.

Anyway, I only have one week of school left! I'll be graduating on the 18th! Wish me luck!

Review, please!


	14. Friends Forever

One Piece: Friends Forever

* * *

One Piece © Oda

Blizzard © Me

* * *

Summary- What if instead of being born in the Grand Line, Blizzard was born in the East Blue, and on Dawn Island? And instead of getting adopted by Robby, he was adopted by a 14-year-old Luffy? Alternate timeline, pre-timeskip.

* * *

"DAMN YOU, YOU LITTLE MOOCH!"

"COME BACK HERE, YOU THIEF!"

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY FROM US SO EASILY, YOU BOTTOMLESS PIT!"

Monkey D. Luffy panted heavily as he ran through the streets of the city, quickly turning corners until he squeezed into an alley, hiding behind a stack of crates. He peeked around the corner, seeing at least three angry cooks stopping in the alleyway, their backs facing him.

"Where did that pig go?!"

"I don't know! This way?!"

"No! He must've gone that way!"

"Split up and find him! That eat-n-run will put us all out of business!"

The cooks split up, leaving Luffy in the alley. He heaved a sigh of relief as he came out of his hiding place. Once he made sure that the coast is clear, he walked out of the alley and into the open street.

Earlier this afternoon, Luffy had gotten hungry, as usual, but the 14-year-old wasn't in the mood for hunting for his meal, so he attempted his first solo eat-n-run…which clearly didn't go well. The reason why Luffy didn't go hunting for his food was because when he attempted to do his first solo hunt 2 days ago, he ended up getting eaten by a giant python, and it took nearly eight hours for Dadan and the rest of the gang to get him out (through the mouth, of course). Luffy took a mental note that hunting for prey and attempting to pull off an eat-n-run was much easier when Ace was present.

It has been exactly 4 days since Ace left home to begin his pirate journey, thus leaving Luffy on the island. The younger D. brother had to admit that training seemed a bit easier when Ace was around, not to mention hunting for food and attempting eat-n-runs, plus attempting to avoid Garp whenever he comes to visit. Also, without Ace to entertain him, Luffy found himself getting bored more easily…and a bit lonely.

Luffy sighed as he leaned against the wall of a nearby hotel.

"I do miss you, Ace," he said, "but I'll be okay on my own…eventually."

As Luffy prepared to head back to the Dadan Bandits' hideout, he suddenly heard a noise. **Yip! Yip!**

"Huh?" Luffy muttered before he started looking around, wondering where the sound came from.

**Yip! Yip! Yap!** The sound came again, and that's when Luffy spotted the source of the sound: a little white puppy, sitting in a cardboard box that sat in front of an old man smoking a pipe. His right ear is floppy while his left ear is triangular and pointed straight up, and his big bright eyes are pink, like cherry blossoms.

Luffy gasped as he ran over to the puppy, who wagged his bushy tail and jumped up at Luffy, reaching his front paws up to him.

"A puppy!" he exclaimed. "Aww, he's so cute!"

**Yip! Yip!** The puppy barked again.

"Cute little one, isn't he?" asked the old man.

"Why is this puppy just sitting in this box?" Luffy asked. "Is he yours, old man?"

"Oh-ho, heavens no!" the old man said with a chortle. "I already have a dog of my own: this little one's mother, Delilah."

"So, why do you have him out here in this box?" Luffy asked.

"He's been put up for adoption," the old man, "as well as the rest of his brothers and sisters. Didn't you see what was written on the box?"

Luffy got down on his knees and found some words written on the box: _Puppies Need New Homes! 1400 Berries Each!_

However, Luffy soon noticed that these words have been crossed off and now read, _Free Puppy!_

"So…how come he's the only one left?" Luffy asked.

"Well, all his brothers and sisters found homes," said old man. "Just…not this one. No one wants this little pup. Poor little guy. The runt of the litter always seems to be the less fortunate."

Luffy looked at the puppy, who stared up at him with his bright puppy-dog eyes. The teen smiled at him with a big toothy grin.

"Hey, old man!" Luffy said. "How about I take him?"

The old man looked up at Luffy in surprise.

"You would take this little one into your home?" he asked.

"Sure!" Luffy replied. "Why wouldn't I? He's really cute!"

"Yes, that much is true," said the old man, "but who wants a puppy that is not only a runt, but looks like a wolf?"

Luffy looked down at the puppy, who tilted his head at him and made a cute little whine. He smiled and then looked to the old man.

"I don't care!" he declared. "I want him! No one else!"

The old man chortled as he smoked his pipe and blew out a puff of smoke.

"You're certainly a kindhearted boy," he said. "In that case, go ahead. Take him. He's yours."

Luffy laughed as he scooped up and held him in his arms. The puppy barked happily and licked the boy's nose, making him laugh even more before he nuzzled him affectionately.

"I've always wanted a puppy," Luffy said before he looked down at his new furry friend. That's when something occurred to him.

"Hey, old man," he said. "What's this little guy's name, anyway?"

"Oh, I haven't given a name," the old man answered. "Ken, Kai, Rob, Bill, Angel, Halo, Rose, Bliss, and Moon…those are all the names I gave to his brothers and sisters, but as for that one…well…I couldn't think of one."

Luffy looked down at the puppy, who looked up at him, wagging his tail and panting happily.

"Hmm…" the boy hummed before he turned to leave. "Maybe I'll think of a new name for him on the way back home. Thanks, old man!"

"Anytime!" the old timer called back. "Take good care of him!"

"I will!" Luffy called as he headed back to Mt. Corbo with his new puppy.

XXX

"I'm back, Dadan!"

"About time you got back, you brat!"

It is sunset, and Luffy and his new canine comrade have returned to the Dadan Bandits' hideout, only to be greeted by Dadan herself.

"Where the hell have you been Luffy?!" Dadan questioned. "You've been gone since this morning, and you knew you had chores! Where have you been, anyway?! Off causing another ruckus in town?!"

"Maybe," Luffy answered.

At that moment, Dadan spotted the puppy in Luffy's arms.

"Luffy…what is that?" Dadan questioned.

"Oh!" Luffy said. "This is my new puppy, Dadan!"

**Yip! Yip!** The puppy barked at Dadan in greeting.

"Puppy?" Dadan repeated, questioningly.

"Yep!" Luffy said with a grin. "Isn't he cute?"

**SLURRRP!** The puppy licked Dadan's nose, leaving a trail of saliva behind.

"Yuck!" Dadan cried as she wiped her nose. "Disgusting! No way is that walking flea hotel staying here! We already have enough problems taking care of you, Luffy!"

"But Dadan-" Luffy started.

"Not buts, Luffy!" Dadan barked. "Wherever you found that mutt, take him back!"

Before Luffy could argue, the puppy wormed his way out of his arms and dashed inside the house.

"Hey!" Luffy called before he gave chase after his new puppy. "Come back, little buddy!"

"Someone grab that mutt!" Dadan ordered.

As the puppy ran throughout the house with Luffy and Dadan not too far behind him, the little scamp left a trail of destruction in his wake, knocking over weapons and other members of the Dadan Gang, leaving dirty paw prints wherever he went, and, when he thought no one was watching, leaving his "mark" on the floor and walls.

That's when Dadan couldn't take anymore.

"That little runt is nothing but a blizzard of trouble!" she shouted.

Luffy gasped, as if realization had struck, which it did.

"That's it!" he exclaimed.

"What's it, Luffy?" Dogra asked.

"That's what I'm gonna call my new puppy!" Luffy said as he picked the puppy up. "Blizzard!"

"…Blizzard?" Dadan repeated, irritably.

"Yeah!" Luffy answered. "He's really fast, and he's all white, like snow! He even looks fierce, just like a blizzard!"

**Yip! Yip!** The puppy barked happily at that statement, and Luffy laughed.

"You like that name, don't you?" Luffy asked, earning another bark in reply. "Okay, then! Blizzard it is!"

The newly christened Blizzard happily bark and licked Luffy's face, making him laugh even more.

"Yeah, yeah, warm fuzzies all around," Dadan grumbled. "What about this big mess that puppy of yours made, Luffy?!"

"Uh, yeah, can you clean that up please?" Luffy asked as he walked back outside, carrying Blizzard in his arms as he did.

Dadan opened her mouth to protest, but Luffy was already out the door. She heaved a sigh and turned to Dogra and Magra.

"Dogra, Magra," Dadan ordered. "Get a mop."

"Yes, boss," the two bandits said with a bit of dread in their voices.

XXX

Later that night, Luffy made it to the treehouse that he once shared with Ace and Sabo. Since his two brothers are gone, now, Luffy had the treehouse all to himself, at least until his 17th birthday.

"Well, here we are, Blizzard," Luffy said. "Your new home. You get to live up here with me, from now on."

Once again, Blizzard wriggled his way out of Luffy's arms and went to explore the treehouse. He sniffed the futons and rolled around on the floor. He even hid in the little pots that are scattered around the place, which Luffy found quite cute.

"You haven't even seen the best part, yet," said Luffy as he picked Blizzard up, once more. He proceeded to climb up the ladder that led up to the crow's nest of the treehouse. Once there, the two are soon with the most magnificent view of the entire jungle and the starry sky above. There is even a clear-cut view of the sea.

"Beautiful, huh, Blizzard?" Luffy asked.

Blizzard panted and wagged his tail happily at the sight.

"I like it, too," Luffy said. "It kinda makes you feel like you're on a pirate ship, doesn't it?"

**Yip! Yip!** Blizzard barked again, and this time, it seemed to be with much more enthusiasm than usual. Luffy grinned and pet the little wolf-dog on the head.

"You like pirates, too, huh?" he asked, earning another bark in reply. Luffy laughed at this, but soon his smile fell and he looked out to the sea. Blizzard noticed this and tilted his head, puzzled.

"I didn't always live in this treehouse," Luffy said. "I actually used to live in this little village called Windmill Village…but…my Grandpa forced me to live up here in this jungle with these bandits instead because he wants me to go out to sea and become a Marine. I do wanna go out to sea…but I don't wanna be a Marine. I wanna be a pirate. Not just any pirate, but the greatest pirate of them all: the King of the Pirates!"

Blizzard's eyes went wide.

"I also had two brothers," Luffy said. "Ace and Sabo. Ace used to be pretty mean and Sabo was always so nice to me…but…well, something happened to Sabo seven years ago and…Ace left 4 days ago…so that means I'm the only one left."

Blizzard seemed to whimper, not out of sadness but rather out of pity.

"I guess, in a way, I'm kinda like you," Luffy said as he pet Blizzard. "We're both alone, huh?"

Blizzard tilted his head, again, and Luffy smiled at him.

"Well…I guess we're not alone anymore," said Luffy. "Now that you're living with me…I guess this means that we've got each other, now, huh?"

**Yip! Yap! Slurp!** Blizzard barked happily and licked Luffy's nose in response, making him laugh.

"Thanks, buddy," Luffy said as he held the little pup in his arms, once more.

Blizzard let out a big yawn, causing Luffy to yawn, as well.

"I guess it is time for some shuteye," said Luffy.

With that being said, Luffy and Blizzard made their way back down the ladder into their little bedroom and lied down on the futon.

"Rest up, Blizzard," Luffy said. "We've got a big day of adventure ahead of us, tomorrow. We've got training…and hunting…" he let out another yawn before he continued, "…eating…sleeping…Zzzzzzzz…!"

Before long, Luffy had drifted off to Dreamland, and Blizzard followed not too long after.

At the entrance of the treehouse, Dadan, Dogra, and Magra watched as Luffy and Blizzard slept peacefully together, and they couldn't help but smile at the boy-and-wolf-dog duo.

"These two are gonna be even more trouble than Ace and Luffy combined," Dadan said, quietly.

"Yeah, but you gotta admit, boss," Magra said. "It is kinda cute."

"And besides, Luffy's been pretty lonely without Ace around," Dogra added. "Would you rather have him mope around and do nothing?"

Dadan just remained silent and she turned to leave. Dogra and Magra still smiled at her, however. They knew that deep down, Dadan cared very much for Luffy…she just didn't want to admit that she had gone soft.

_**~Two years later~**_

Another quiet day in the jungle of Mt. Corbo…

**WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!**

"Yeah! Go get him, buddy! Don't let him get away! He's gotta be tired, by now!"

Or maybe not so quiet.

A tiger suddenly emerged from the underbrush, but for some reason, he seemed to be out of breath and…a bit scared.

**WOOF! WOOF! WOOF!** The tiger looked back upon hearing barking, but when he turned to keep running, he found that he had reached a dead end.

Suddenly, the tiger heard growling coming from behind. Turning around with a look of horror, the big cat saw…a white wolf that is only about half his size with big, bat-like ears, cherry blossom pink eyes, and a silver chain necklace with a skull-and-crossbones charm. One might be surprised at how this canine could terrify such a big cat like a tiger.

**GRRR~!** The wolf growled as he began to advance on the tiger, who backed away from him until his backside pushed against the tree behind himself.

"That's a good boy, Blizzard! Keep him cornered!"

The tiger looked up and saw a 16-year-old Monkey D. Luffy, armed with nothing but his bare hands.

"Back up, Blizzard," Luffy said. "I can take it from here."

Blizzard nodded in reply before he backed away a bit, still growling at the tiger as he did.

"All right," said Luffy as he put his left hand on his right bicep. "Time for the old Gum-Gum Pistol."

The tiger appeared to be just as terrified of Luffy as he was of the wolf-dog.

"Gum-GUUUUUUM…PISTOL!" Luffy shouted.

**WROING!** Luffy's arm stretched out like rubber, making a beeline straight for the tiger's jaw. **POW!** Luffy's fist made a direct hit with the tiger's face, snapping his jaw and his neck at the same time. **FWUMP!** The big cat fell to the ground in a heap.

"Yes!" Luffy said. "The Gum-Gum Pistol works like a charm!"

**WOOF! WOOF!** Blizzard barked, wagging his tail happily.

"Oh, yeah!" Luffy said as he pet the wolf-dog on the head and gently scratched him behind his ears, causing the canine to thump his foot against the ground. "I couldn't have done it without you, Blizzard! We make a great team, huh, buddy?"

**ARF! ARF!** Blizzard barked again in agreement, making Luffy laugh.

"Well, time to head back!" Luffy said as he grabbed the dead tiger by the tail and proceeded to drag him along the ground with Blizzard following along behind him.

It's been two years since Luffy adopted Blizzard, and the two have been joined at the hip, ever since. The two have become a formidable team. They had sparring matches and hunted for food in the jungle together. They'd even go out into the Grey Terminal every now and then to fight with some thugs and look for any "treasures". In fact, Luffy found Blizzard's new necklace in that giant garbage dump. Luffy figured that since Blizzard like pirates so much, he should at least wear something that made him feel like one, and that necklace he found fit him perfectly.

As the boy and wolf-dog reached the Dadan Bandits' hideout, they soon saw that they had a visitor: Makino.

"Makino!" Luffy exclaimed as he ran to greet her with a hug.

"Hi, Luffy!" Makino greeted, returning the teen's embrace. She then looked down at Blizzard, who greeted her with a wagging tail. "And hello to you, too, Blizzard!" she greeted the wolf-dog, giving him a gentle pet on the head.

"So, what have you two been up to?" Makino asked.

"We just got back from hunting lunch!" Luffy said, pointing to the tiger behind him.

"Oh, dear," Makino said. "In that case, I guess you and Blizzard won't be able to have some of my cooking then." She held up a basket full of all kinds of treats: meat, fruit, and a jar of peanut butter (Blizzard's favorite).

"On second thought, we pretty much have tiger meat all the time," Luffy said. "Let's eat, Blizzard!"

Blizzard licked his lips in response.

And so, Luffy and Blizzard began to help themselves to Makino's culinary gifts.

"Yummy!" Luffy exclaimed, taking a bite of some meat.

**Smack! Smack! Smack!** Blizzard smacked his lips, trying to lick off some peanut butter from the roof of his mouth, which Luffy and Makino found absolutely adorable.

"So, how've you been, Luffy?" Makino said. "You haven't been coming down to the village to see me, lately."

"Ah, Grandpa found out about me sneaking down there," said Luffy. "He says he doesn't want me doing it anymore. Besides, it's not too bad! At least I have Blizzard with me!"

"That's true," Makino said with a smile as she pet Blizzard once again. "It's good to see you're both doing well."

"Thanks," Luffy said.

"…Luffy," Makino said. "I'm very glad that you and Blizzard found each other, but…don't you ever feel like you still miss Ace?"

"Yeah," Luffy answered, simply. "I still miss Ace, but I know he's not gone forever! Besides, I'll be turning seventeen next year, and when I do, Blizzard and I will set sail together as pirates! We'll gather up a crew, go the Grand Line, and find the One Piece, and then I'll become King of the Pirates! Who knows? I might even get to see Ace again, right Makino?"

No answer.

"Uh…Makino?" Luffy said as he glanced at Makino, who had a somewhat worried expression on her face.

"What's wrong?" Luffy asked.

Blizzard tilted his head, bewildered by Makino's sudden change in demeanor.

"Luffy," Makino said. "Don't panic, but…look behind you."

Luffy and Blizzard appeared puzzled at first, but then, as they turned around, they soon realized what she meant as a look of pure dread appeared on their faces.

There, towering over them, stood Monkey D. Garp…and he didn't look one bit happy.

"So, you're still going on about that, eh, Luffy?" Garp questioned.

"Uh…h-hi, G-G-Grandpa…!" Luffy stammered, trying hard not to panic.

_Oh, man, not this crazy old coot again!_ Blizzard thought.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Luffy?!" Garp questioned. "You and that mutt of yours are gonna be Marines and you're gonna like it!"

**BAP! POW!** Garp's fist connected with the top of Luffy and Blizzard's skulls, leaving huge bumps on their heads. Makino gasped and covered her mouth in shock.

Since Blizzard had been adopted Luffy, that meant that he, too, had to be subjected to Garp's "Fist of Love", whether he liked it or not.

"Ah! Makino!" Garp said, finally noticing the bartender. "Good to see you, again!"

"Uh, yes," Makino said, sweat-dropping. "You, too, Garp."

"Dammit, Grandpa!" Luffy cursed as he rubbed the bump on his head. "Why the hell do you have to keep hitting me and Blizzard when you come and see us?!"

"Because I care!" Garp replied, angrily as he raised his fist again. "If I have to beat some sense into you for all these 'I'm gonna be a pirate' talk, then so be it! I hope you and Blizzard are ready for a good workout, Luffy!"

"Uh-oh," Luffy mumbled. "BLIZZARD! RUN!"

Blizzard was way ahead of Luffy. He had already started running the moment he heard Garp say "workout". When Luffy realized, he ran not long after with Garp in hot pursuit.

"GET BACK HERE!" Garp shouted. "YOU WON'T GET AWAY FROM ME SO EASILY, THIS TIME! I'LL BEAT YOU BOTH TO A PULP!"

Makino sighed as Garp gave chase after his grandson and dog, and yet despite this, she couldn't help but smile.

"At least Luffy won't be the only one to take Garp's beating," she said.

XXX

Later that day…

"Well, that's all for now, but I'll be back later this month! Don't go dying on me, yet, you hear?!"

Luffy and Blizzard are lying on the ground, covered in bumps and bruises as Garp casually walked away.

_I don't think we'll be able to survive his next visit,_ Blizzard thought, sweat-dropping.

"Ugh…Blizzard, you alive?" Luffy asked, earning a whimper in response. "I'll take that as a yes."

Luffy stood up and looked up at the orange sky.

"It's almost sundown," he said. "That means it's almost time for dinner. Let's head back, Blizzard."

Blizzard nodded before he followed Luffy back to the Dadan Bandits' hideout. Once there, they smelled the scent of the tiger meat that they had brought back earlier being cooked.

"Looks like we made it back just in time!" Luffy said. "Dinner's starting without us! Come on, Blizzard! Let's hurry and eat!"

Blizzard barked in agreement before he followed Luffy inside, and no sooner had he done so that the peaceful meal turned into an all out brawl. The bandits hardly got any tiger meat to eat since Luffy and Blizzard continued to inhale everything and keep everyone away from the food.

After dinner, Luffy and Blizzard went to bed, warm and well-fed, while the Dadan Bandits when to bed with empty stomachs.

XXX

The next morning, Luffy and Blizzard had decided to go into the city to see if they could get some breakfast. However, as they walked through the streets, they soon came across a problem: they had been ambushed by some local street thugs who believed that they could boost their reputation by taking the duo out.

"Say your prayers, Luffy!" said the thug leader, holding a bat with metal rusted on the end. "You and that little doggie of yours are dead meat!"

"Bring it on, ugly!" Luffy said.

Blizzard growled viciously at the thugs. Soon, the thugs lunged at the duo, who lunged back at them, and soon, an all-out brawl broke out.

"Gum-Gum PISTOL!" Luffy shouted as he stretched his arm and punched one of the hoodlums right in the gut, sending him flying several feet away. He spotted a few more goons coming up from behind him.

"Gum-Gum WHIP!" Luffy shouted before he stretched his leg out and practically clothes-lined the men with a roundhouse kick and ended up kicking them straight into a wall.

Blizzard then turned to face his own group of thugs. He jumped up and bit one of them right in the nose, and then he turned clawed another right on his lips. Then he jumped off of that thug and bit another right in the shoulder.

"Leave that mutt to me!" said one of the thugs, holding up a flintlock pistol. "I'll pump him full of lead!"

Luffy gasped when he heard that before putting on a look of anger.

"No you don't!" he shouted as he ran to his dog's rescue.

The thug took aim right at Blizzard's shoulder, prepared to hit him right in the heart. **KABANG!** He pulled the trigger and fired at him, but when he did, Luffy suddenly appeared and took the bullet right in his chest. Blizzard turned to Luffy and gasped at this, but then he remembered Luffy's Devil Fruit powers and immediately relaxed.

**BOING! SNAP!** The bullet ended up bouncing off of Luffy's skin and ended up hitting the thug in the stomach instead.

"AAAAAAAAUUGH!" the thug screamed before he fell to the ground.

"Don't ever try and shoot at my dog, bastard!" Luffy snapped.

"Didn't your mother ever teach not to look away from your opponent?!"

Luffy turned and saw the thug leader, who threw his nailed bat at him. Luckily, Luffy managed to dodge in the nick of time.

"Your head's gonna look good on my mantle, you little brat!" the leader said as he advanced toward Luffy, who began to back away until his back is against a wall.

"Give me your best shot, pal," Luffy said.

"With pleasure," the thug leader as he raised his weapon once again. "Now, don't worry…this'll only hurt for a sec-"

**THWAK!** A white blur appeared, spinning around like a horizontal top, and struck the leader right in the side, sending him flying into a stack of crates, much to Luffy's surprise.

The blur is revealed to be Blizzard, who licked his lips and growled at the leader.

_How do you like my Twister Fang attack?_ he thought.

The moment the rest of the goons realized that their boss was out cold, they quickly turned tail and ran away, screaming in terror.

"That's right!" Luffy called. "Keep running, you pack of dumb-asses!"

_And don't let me catch you messing with Luffy again!_ Blizzard shouted in thought. _If I do, I'll bite you all where it shows!_

Luffy gently pet Blizzard on the head.

"Good job, buddy!" Luffy praised. "Chalk up another victory for Luffy and Blizzard!"

**WOOF!** Blizzard barked in agreement.

_You know I'll always have your back, Luffy,_ he thought.

**GURRRRRRGLE!** Luffy and Blizzard's stomachs rumbled simultaneously.

"Now that that's over with," Luffy said. "Let's go and get some breakfast. That fight made me really hungry."

_I hear that,_ Blizzard followed. _But this time, I really hope you're planning on paying._

And so, the boy-and-wolf-dog duo headed for the nearest restaurant…only to be chased when Luffy didn't pay, AGAIN.

_Why do I even bother anymore?_ Blizzard thought.

_**~One year later~**_

At long last, the day has finally come: Luffy's 17th birthday. Also…today is the day that Luffy finally sets sail…along with Blizzard.

"Blizzard!" Luffy called. "C'mon, buddy! Let's get going!"

**ARF! ARF!** Blizzard barked as he ran to join Luffy's side.

"Well, Blizzard and I are off you guys!" Luffy said to the Dadan Bandits. "Aren't you gonna come and say goodbye?"

"We can't," Dadan said. "Makino and Mayor Woop Slap may not mind, but if the rest of the townsfolk, they'd freak! Now you and that mutt, get outta here!"

"If you say so," Luffy said. "Thanks for everything, you guys!"

**WOOF! WOOF!** Blizzard barked in agreement.

"Ah, c'mon Luffy! Don't thank us!" said Magra.

"Yeah, it's really embarrassing!" Dogra added.

"Oh, and one more thing!" Luffy said. "Dadan! I hate mountain bandits…"

"Just shut it and get out, brat!" Dogra snapped.

_Jeez, you didn't even let him finish!_ Blizzard thought.

"I may hate mountain bandits," Luffy repeated, "but…I really like you!"

Dadan gasped before she pulled out a handkerchief and sobbed, tears cascading out of her eyes.

"Shut up, you little bastard!" Dadan snapped. "Get outta here, already!"

Blizzard snickered at this before he followed Luffy out of the house and headed to Windmill Village with him. The two had decided to take an old dinghy and a barrel full of meat and bait with them to start their journey together.

"Hey, wait a minute Luffy!" said the local fishmonger. "Why don't you and your dog take my fishing boat, instead!"

"Nah," Luffy answered. "This is all Blizzard and I need, right buddy?"

_Well…I guess,_ Blizzard thought as he looked at the old dinghy, which had small dents and scratches…a LOT of small dents and scratches.

"Luffy that little boat looks like it might sink any minute!" said one of the villagers. "What's gonna happen if it falls apart? You can't swim, remember?"

"Relax!" Luffy said. "Even if I fall overboard, Blizzard will save me, won't he?"

_That's true enough,_ Blizzard thought.

Luffy then looked up at the sky and grinned.

"SABO!" he called. "LOOK AT ME! NOW I'M OUT AT SEA, TOO!"

Blizzard smiled at Luffy, who placed a hand on his hand.

"Sabo went first," he said. "Ace went second. Blizzard and I ended up going third, but we won't lose to them, right buddy?"

**WOOF!** Blizzard barked in agreement, once more.

"Just you wait, Ace!" Luffy said. "I'll catch up with you before you even know it!"

"Who's Sabo?" one of the villagers asked.

"I don't know," answered another. "What's Luffy yelling and mumbling about anyway? Some kind of lucky charm or something?"

"It's not a charm!" Luffy corrected. "It's a challenge!"

Blizzard sweat-dropped at this.

_Sure, Luffy,_ he thought. _I just don't think that they know that._

"Well, this is it!" Luffy said. "I'm off!"

"Bye, Luffy!" Makino called. "Blizzard, you look after him!"

"Don't you go catching a cold, you hear me?!" Woop Slap called.

Just as Luffy and Blizzard began to row away from the island's shore, something huge emerged from the water. Looking up, the two soon see that it is none other than the Lord of the Coast, the local sea monster that dwells in the waters around Dawn Island.

While Blizzard, as well as the island's villagers, looked absolutely terrified, Luffy didn't seem all that worried at all. In fact, he actually smiled about it.

"Oh, it's just you," Luffy said as he stood up in the boat.

_Hey, wait! What are you doing?!_ Blizzard thought.

"Relax, Blizzard," Luffy said. "I spent the last ten years training myself just for this. Now…Gum-GUUUUUUUUM…"

**GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWR!** The Lord of the Coast roared as he opened his mighty jaws, preparing to swallow the boy and his dog whole.

"PISTOL!"

**KAPOW!** Luffy punched the Lord of the Coast right in the jaw, much to Blizzard's shock and disbelief.

_What…the hell?!_ Blizzard thought.

**SPLASH!** The giant sea monster fell into the water, creating a huge splash behind Luffy and Blizzard.

"Well, that was easy," Luffy said.

_That was absolutely terrifying,_ Blizzard thought, _but I'm glad it's over._

"Okay, Blizzard!" Luffy said. "First thing's first! We gotta find some people to join up with us! I think about maybe ten guys or so should do it. And of course we're gonna need a flag!"

_Not really good at making a plan, are you?_ Blizzard thought. _Oh, well. Wherever you go, Luffy, I'll be with you every step of the way._

"Right! Let's do this!" Luffy exclaimed. "I'M GONNA BE…KING OF THE PIRATES!"

_**ARROOOOOOOOOOOO~!**_ Blizzard howled out to the heavens above.

And so, the two set sail together, heading straight for the Grand Line. Adventure and romance await them, as well as many dangers, but as long as these two friends stuck together, then no obstacle was too great.

**THE END**

* * *

I've always wanted to do a little story like this, and I might also do a one-shot where Luffy and Nami are childhood sweethearts. Cute, huh?

Anyway, review please!


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